BRUSSELS – Two European organizations say healthcare IT is critical in the fight against chronic disease. The European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) and Association Internationale de la Mutualite (AIM) have announced a partnership to improve chronic disease management.

The two organizations made the announcement at the Belgian Presidency Ministerial Conference "Innovative Approaches for Chronic iIlnesses in Public Health and Healthcare Systems." COCIR and AIM presented possible solutions for more effective chronic illness management, which is a major issue for the European healthcare industry.

Jan van Emelen, AIM’s Chairman of Disease Management Group, emphasized the importance of healthcare IT in integrated care. The implementation of EHRs and telemedicine solutions will help prevention, early detection, and screening of chronic diseases.

“The partnership between COCIR and AIM is about bringing fresh thinking to the debate so that healthcare systems can adopt the right technologies and prevention strategies for the cost-efficient management of chronic diseases,” said Nicole Denjoy, COCIR Secretary General.

Sharing best practices, as well as focusing on the development of specific guidelines are vital steps towards the improvement of care for chronic disease patients. COCIR and AIM will work together in addition to gathering recommendations from other industry experts at the upcoming Health Council in December.