The Access and Networking in the Alpine Region (ALIAS) telemedicine network linking eight hospitals in the Alps has launched a pilot project to share health information and medical records of patients, as well as to enable providers to collaborate on difficult cases.
The objective is to improve access to telemedicine services for hospitals. Milestones for the project, which has been funded from 2009 through 2012 by the Alpine Space Programme of the European Union, include establishing a technological platform, designing and implementing telemedicine services, and motivating physicians to use the service.
The project completed its final test in January 2012, which included testing a firewall, workflow for a second opinion tool, videoconferencing, and exchange of patient information.
The participating hospital organizations from five countries are now enrolling patients and encouraging physicians to use the service.
