IHE News - August 2024

Hi IHE Canada Members,

We are pleased to share some important IHE news and updates with you this August.

1. IHE Joins in Stewardship of International Patient Summary
IHE International has supported the implementation of the International Patient Summary (IPS) by publishing profiles defining its content and methods for access. Recently joined a subgroup of the Joint Initiatives Council on Global Health Informatics Standardization (JIC) to formalize a stewardship mechanism to further develop the IPS suite of standards. As outlined in the discussion paper released by the JIC titled The Future of IPS as a Global Public Good , this stewardship process is designed to evaluate actions such as extending the scope of IPS to additional use cases. IHE International along with HL7, CENT/TC 251, ISO/TC215 and SNOMED International are leading the way to ensure the IPS addresses the needs of stakeholders, including patients and their families, healthcare providers, vendors, payer organizations, and government organizations. The JIC is currently seeking input on plans for the IPS.
Read the press release .
Review the discussion paper .
Share your insights and feedback .

2. IHE North America Connectathon Week 2025 in Toronto
For the first time, the 2025 IHE North America Connectathon Week will be held in Canada! It is scheduled for next February 3-7 at the beautiful InterContinental Toronto Centre . Get the benefit of over 25 years of unmatched interoperability testing experience. Whether you are a business leader or a developer, the IHE North America Connectathon Week has something for you. Find out more at iheusa.org .

3. IHE Austria to host the IHE-Europe Connectathon Week 2025
Mark your calendars! The next IHE-Europe Connectathon Week hosted by IHE Austria is planned for June 23-27, 2025 in beautiful Vienna, Austria. Further information and registration will be available soon on the IHE-Europe website .

4. IHE Connectathon Seal Program Launched
IHE has introduced an official designation, the IHE Connectathon Seal, awarded to vendors who have successfully demonstrated interoperability and conformance to IHE standards. At IHE Connectathons in Europe, Japan and North America more than 400 seals have been awarded, signifying that the systems tested have undergone rigorous evaluation and demonstrated their ability to interoperate with other systems. The IHE Connectathon Seal represents a significant advancement in providing the health IT marketplace with reliable information regarding the capacity of systems to effectively communicate and exchange data. Visit the IHE USA website for details .

5. IHE-Europe Connectathon Week 2024 Successes
Connectathon Week 2024, hosted by IHE-Europe in Trieste, Italy last June, was filled with excitement and energy! Testing participants from 49 organizations completed over 2,300 tests. 73 IHE Profiles were tested, the most popular being ATNA ITI and XDS. Read more about the IHE-Europe Connectathon Week here. Click here to view the full results report .

6. IHE SHARAZONE Participation Grows
IHE-Europe reports a major milestone for the IHE SHARAZONE, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at boosting digital interoperability and the exchange of health information. This innovative platform now proudly supports 15 participating organizations, each committed to enhancing the standardization of healthcare technologies, comprising 37 information creators and 24 consumer systems with more than 150 touch points successfully tested. Read the press release .

In addition, the IHE Patient Care Coordination Committee is inviting comments for the Paramedicine Summary of Care (PSC) - Rev. 3.0 supplement . Comments submitted by August 26, 2024 will be considered by the IHE PCC Technical Committee in developing the trial implementation version of the supplement. Comments can be submitted at PCC Public Comments .

Best regards,