The Interop’Santé / IHE-France association, which works to harmonize and promote the exchange of health information in France, announced on March 30 the re-election of the two co-presidents of IHE-France and the president of HL7 France. Abdelmoula Tamoudi, CEO of Kereval and a member of IHE-Europe, was re-elected co-chair of IHE-France to represent digital health companies, Jean-François Lahaye of Lille University Hospital, representing healthcare facilities and primary care, and Nicolas Riss, an expert in interoperability and innovation at ANS (the French Digital Health Agency), was re-elected president of HL7 France.
They were re-elected by and from among the members of Interop’Santé for a two-year term.

What will be the co-presidents’ responsibilities?

The co-presidents of IHE-France represent the Interop’Santé association before national and international IHE bodies and, in this capacity, must:

• Lead IHE-France activities within Interop’Santé in France
• Propose and oversee specific initiatives related to IHE activities: training, awareness-raising, promotion of IHE, working groups, etc.
• Ensure participation in meetings of the IHE Europe and IHE International executive committees,
• Serve as a liaison between the IHE Europe and IHE International bodies,
• Define the budget for their activities in consultation with the treasurer,
• Ensure that one of the co-chairs serves on the Interop’Santé board of directors.

Role of Interop’Santé

Interop’Santé, founded in 2009, now brings together nearly 150 members, including industry players in the information systems sector (software vendors, integrators, consultants, etc.), users (healthcare and medico-social institutions and professionals, learned societies, and professional associations, etc.), and representatives of government agencies and standards organizations. The association brings together several organizations, each working toward the standardization of electronic data exchange in the healthcare sector: HL7 France (HealthLevel 7), HPRIM (Harmonizing and Promoting Medical Informatics), IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise), and PN13-IS (Patient Medication Management).
To help promote the interoperability of healthcare information systems at the French, European, and international levels, its activities involve close coordination and collaboration with IHE-Europe, IHE International, and the international HL7 FHIR community. One of the key areas of focus will be to continue sharing the work carried out by IHE-France on the norms and standards selected by France, with the aim of advancing them at the European and international levels.

Kereval: An Expert in Interoperability

For over 15 years, Kereval has built up expertise in healthcare interoperability issues at the French, European, and international levels. Initially, in the area of “testing,” by participating in the development of the Gazelle interoperability testing platform and supporting the organization of international testing sessions. Subsequently, through consulting and support missions to define interoperability standards in France and Europe (particularly in Ireland, Greece, and Switzerland). Since 2019, Kereval has also been a key player in the evolution of the interoperability framework for health information systems (CI-SIS), maintained by the ANS (French Digital Health Agency).