BRUSSELS and BUDAPEST, Hungary, January 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration is now open for the eHealth event of the year, eHealth Week 2011, which takes place in Budapest, Hungary on 10-12 May, 2011 (http://www.ehealthweek.org). The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and HIMSS Europe invite eHealth stakeholders from Europe and beyond to what has become the most important gathering of eHealth experts in Europe.

The event attracts Government decision makers, Industry Leaders and Europe's most influential CIOs from hospitals and healthcare organisations: "Healthcare is an increasingly global endeavour. For an international hospital provider like us, eHealth Week 2011 is an ideal opportunity to keep in touch with the most recent developments," says Uwe Poettgen, Chief Information Officer at Germany's Asklepios Hospital Group, and a key figure in the innovative Asklepios Future Hospital Program. In a keynote, Poettgen will be speaking about investing in the healthcare systems of the future.

Another confirmed keynote is Eric Lepage, EPR Director at the Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Professor for Data Processing, Bio Statistics and IT at the University of Paris.

He is engaged both in implementing electronic patient records and in healthcare IT research: "An EPR works best in a standardised healthcare IT environment. This is why international exchange and cooperation is so important. The same is true for healthcare IT research, which is increasingly performed by cross border research networks."

eHealth Week 2011 focuses on 'eHealth in an Age of Austerity: Achieving Maximum Benefit'. Healthcare is facing substantial challenges, including demographic changes and reduced resources. "People are living for longer and they should be able to do so as actively and independently as possible," explains Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, co-leading with John Dalli-Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy - the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. Intelligent eHealth services are indispensible for reaching this goal: "Solutions such as fall-detection and prevention devices, easy-to-use social interaction services to overcome loneliness, and smart use of ICT in the home all facilitate active and independent ageing. We need input from stakeholders to make sure the pilot Innovation Partnership can help to make these ideas a reality for Europe's senior citizens."

eHealth Week 2011 is a collaboration between the European Commission's High Level Ministerial Conference and the World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition. The Hungarian government, which is holding the rotating presidency of the European Council, is hosting the event. . "The role of eHealth is essential in modernising healthcare, it can contribute to a more effective, efficient and sustainable healthcare system. IT can support evidence based health policy decision making and can play a key role in responding to today's healthcare challenges such as workforce shortages and increasing demands related to ageing population," says Dr. Miklos Szocska, Hungarian Minister of State for Health.

Jeremy Bonfini, Executive Vice President for HIMSS Global said: "eHealth Week in Budapest will show European healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders how healthcare services can be extended from the hospital to the home and efficiently provide the quality of healthcare that is demanded by an increasingly ageing population."

eHealth week 2011 will also welcome many new partners such as IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) - the largest private-public partnership in life sciences - which will hold its second Stakeholders' Forum meeting for all eHealth week participants. Other partners include Netc@rds and the European MHealth Alliance (EuMHA).

For regular updates, please visit the http://www.ehealthweek.org and follow us on http://twitter.com/EU_ehealthweek