20 September 2012 -- The annual European testing event for healthcare IT interoperability, known as the IHE Connectathon, will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from April 15 to 19, 2013 at the Halic Congress Center.

Connectathon 2013 will bring healthcare interoperability to the edge of Europe with the ambition to reach further, attracting new participants from the Middle East, as suggested by this year's theme "Connect where the continents meet."

This intensive five-day ‘connectivity marathon’ will draw together companies implementing specifications developed by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), providing an opportunity to test their applications with systems from other vendors. Last year's IHE-Europe Connectathon in Bern, Switzerland showed a record attendance of 520 participants and 85 companies for 2,800 interoperability tests among 120 medical information systems.

Organized by IHE-Turkey and IHE-Europe, Connectathon 2013 will be jointly sponsored by the Turkish Medical Informatics Association, the Turkish Society of Radiology (TurkRAD), and the Association for Medical Imaging Diagnosis and Treatment Technologies (TipGörDer).

“As one of the newest, yet most active member of our association, we can count on our colleagues at IHE-Turkey creating a rich and rewarding event for everyone with a stake in the seamless exchange of patient information," said Lapo Bertini, IHE-Europe vendor Co-Chair.

Haluk Celikel, Vendor Co-Chair of IHE-Turkey, said, "Hosting the European Connectathon is both an honor and a tremendous opportunity for advancing interoperability in our country as well as demonstrating its benefits to the world."

IHE-Turkey successfully launched Connectathon 2013 for a national audience on September 20, 2012 in Ankara during a “Share the Experience” meeting with the Ministry of Health, vendors and users participating. Turkish companies shared their experiences from earlier IHE-Europe Connectathons and the local Committee presented its plans for Connectathon 2013.
The results of the Connectathon are published on the IHE-Europe website and participating vendors may refer to the IHE Integration Statements to show compliance of their products with IHE Integration Profiles. This is a clear benefit to vendors when responding to Requests for Proposals from users.

Press contacts:

Eric Poiseau
IHE-Europe Technical Project
Tel: +33 (0)2 99 84 74 58
Email: technicalmanager@ihe-europe.net

Haluk Çelikel
IHE-Turkey Vendor Co-Chair
Tel: +90 (530) 977 06 62
Email: cat2013@ihe-europe.net

For more information on IHE-Europe and the Connectathon please visit: www.ihe-europe.net as well as www.cat2013.org.

Also available on the IHE-Europe website are Success Stories about IHE implementations in Europe, as well as FAQs about Connectathon and IHE frameworks and specifications.

IHE-Europe is the European branch of the international IHE organisation. ‘Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise’ (IHE) is a joint initiative of healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE promotes the coordinated use of established standards such as DICOM, XML and HL7 to address specific clinical needs in support of optimal patient care. Systems developed in accordance with IHE specifications communicate with one another better, are easier to implement, and enable care providers to use information more effectively.