Deployment Activities
To foster the implementation of IHE Integration Profiles, the IHE initiative has established a process of interoperability testing, demonstration, education and promotion. These deployment activities, which continue to evolve and grow, are generally national or regional and domain-specific in scope. National and Regional IHE initiatives are formed to support and oversee these activities.
2.1 National and Regional IHE Initiatives
National and Regional IHE initiatives coordinate the deployment of the IHE Technical Framework and Integration Profiles and give input to their development relevant to local needs and issues. They are sponsored and overseen by relevant national/regional professional associations and include membership and staff of these groups as well as local vendor representatives. These groups may rely on funding from other organizations (e.g., governmental bodies or foundations) and, if so, are responsible for securing and managing any such funds. Sponsoring organizations of national and regional initiatives may also sponsor domain development activities, though they are not required to do so. They are responsible for organizing testing and implementation efforts, public presentations and education in their respective areas.
Regional IHE initiatives function as coalitions of their constituent national initiatives and serve to coordinate the activities of these groups. Some deployment activities, such as development of testing tools and planning and staging of Connectathons (interoperability testing events), may best be organized at the regional level. National IHE initiatives in countries that are part of regions with established regional IHE initiatives are expected to coordinate their activities with these regional groups. The activities of national and regional IHE initiatives overlap considerably and the relative strengths of one or the other will vary from place to place.
The deployment activities of regional and national IHE initiatives include the following:
- Recruiting national IHE initiative participants, sponsors and contributors.
- Participating in regional IHE initiative planning and activities and coordinate national activities with these
- Communicating regularly with other IHE regional and national initiatives about planning and activities
- Planning and supporting an interoperability testing process, Connectathons, demonstrations and educational and promotional events
- Retaining a technical project manager or management team to coordinate interoperability testing, Connectathons and demonstrations
- Publishing and disseminate educational and promotional materials in conformance with guidelines of regional initiatives
- Developing and propose national extensions to the Technical Framework to address specific needs due to national policies and traditions of care
The sponsoring groups of National and Regional IHE Initiatives may also form Review Committees, composed of executive staff and senior membership, to mediate issues that may have implications for commercial competition and to be the final authority on planning and execution of deployment activities in their nation or region.
