HIMSS and WHO-Europe have set a new agenda for transatlantic cooperation in the field of digital health, having recently signed a memorandum of understanding marking it.
HIMSS aims to help lead the reform of the global health ecosystem through information and technology. With more than 120,000 members, HIMSS serves the world medical community through its operations across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The 53 member countries of the European Region of the World Health Organization recently adopted a Resolution and Action Plan to scale up digital transformation for better health. A leading healthcare campaigner, HIMSS has extensive experience in this area and says they are ready to help.
Benefit Global Health Equality Week, October 24-28, 2022, IT news about healthcare sat down with Tom Leary, senior vice president and head of government relations at HIMSS, to discuss the memorandum of understanding between HIMSS and WHO-Europe and what the organizations will do to promote health. digital health in Europe.
Q. What initially drew HIMSS and WHO-Europe together?
ONE. HIMSS has had a great relationship with WHO-Europe for the past three or four years. They have been linked to our HIMSS Europe conference, pre-pandemic and during the pandemic.
They are visionaries of what is possible in Europe. Their regional director is Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge. From the regional director down to the entire team, this is a great collaboration opportunity to bring real-world solutions to the entire Europe region. That’s what drew HIMSS to the memorandum of understanding.
“The aim is to bring the public and private sectors together to help define what steps need to be taken in each country.”
Tom Leary, HIMSS
Q. What does the MOU between the two organizations say?
ONE. It’s really the basic memorandum of understanding between the two organizations. We are an accredited partner with WHO and WHO-Europe. We went through the regulatory review process and it established us a good foundation from which to really start thinking creatively around bringing digital health transformation to the entire region. European area.
So that’s the basic Memorandum of Understanding from which we will launch a transatlantic health alliance later this year and in 2023 with the intention of working together in the public and private sectors. to help countries in the euro area assess where they are in the digital health transition. .
Many people think of the European community as just the EU, but the number of countries in the WHO European region is twice that of the European Union. And many non-EU countries were earlier in their digital health transition.
They have smaller economies and have a longer journey to get ahead of them, going quoteless, paperless and truly transforming in the definition of digital health transformation. So the aim is to bring the public and private sectors together to help define the steps to be taken in each country.
And then, overall in the region, what resources does the private sector have available, what guidance does it have, whether it is looking at 3G as a base for resources, and not entirely towards 5G, because there are countries that don’t have that. physical infrastructure? So building from a 3G perspective, determine if they need an EHR? Do they need to be released?
How do we leverage resources to help them understand where they are, the gap between their vision and what’s currently happening in each country? And then what resources can be brought to both the public and private sectors; That’s really the hope for this cooperation.
Q. What are the goals of the two organizations in their work?
ONE. Our goal is to highlight the need for the public and private sectors to work together to deliver a vision of digital health transformation in the region, both from a technology perspective and also importantly from a workforce perspective.
There is a gap in the workforce, in the number of people trained or even in the awareness of a digital health career. So, how do we ensure there are career opportunities, growth opportunities? You know, career growth opportunities for individuals who may be curious about technology, but don’t realize that there’s a whole world and entire career path out there in healthcare.
You know, whether you’re a cybersecurity expert or an IT engineer, fill in the blanks from the tech side. They don’t always think of healthcare as a place where they can start their careers. They can really make a difference in their community, but once you can highlight that, then give them a path to certification or what HIMSS can offer. certification and education boards.
And what partners can bring to the table. For example, I think Microsoft and such organizations can focus on technology needs. Just as important, however, is the ability to make this digital health transformation possible. You can have an all you want plan. You can buy technology. But if you don’t have people who understand and can implement a technology, you’re really missing out.
So that’s why it’s really a public-private partnership focused on both the digital health technology transformation, as well as the workforce.
Q. What are some activities that organizations will undertake to achieve these goals? For example: events, research, promotion of HIMSS membership, etc.
ONE. We are in the early stages of charting our path for 2023. We will have a series of face-to-face and virtual meetings to map out our engagement plan. I anticipate there will be conversations with the public sector in the European region, as well as with private sector partners from across HIMSS members – you know, the conversations on display at the Global Conference. HIMSS bridge and the European Conference – some of the larger organizations out there have other relationships with the healthcare community.
So I’m really looking forward to building our platform. We have a memorandum of understanding. Now let’s start building the house. We will begin to map out where we are headed and map out some of the milestones around educational opportunities and engagement with both countries and potential private sector partners.
Q. Ultimately, how will this partnership forward HIMSS’s mission to reform the global health ecosystem through the power of technology and information?
ONE. I appreciate this question, because it lies between that mission and the vision of the organization, where this partnership is intended to address. It brings together the public and private sectors in the euro area to identify employment opportunities and overcome challenges in delivering truly digital healthcare.
And what we hope is that this partnership as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding will help countries and ultimately help individuals in those countries leverage technology in a way that makes caregiving easier. more accessible, healthier communities and truly creating opportunities for both individuals and organizations upfront and attainable. We anticipate that it will perform across all aspects of the HIMSS mission.
Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
