Welcome to the NETC@RDS Project Webpage

Click on the Diagram representing the NETC@RDS consortium for more information regarding each of the partners and/or subcontractors

Institution full name: Groupement d’Intérêt Economique SESAM-Vitale (SESAM-Vitale Economic Interest Grouping)
Status: Project Co-ordinator.
Address: 5, boulevard Alexandre Oyon, Tour Solaire, 72019 LE MANS CEDEX 2, France.
Website: http://www.sesam-vitale.fr

170 employees including 60 % engineers and highly qualified technicians

On behalf of the National Authorities:

• Ministère de la Santé / Direction de la Sécurité Sociale / Direction de Gestion de la Santé / Direction des Systèmes d’Information (Ministry of Social Security and Health).
• Caisse Nationale de l’Assurance Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés (National Fund of Health Insurance for Salaried Workers).

Economic scope

The economic scope is the Social and Health Care sector computerization. SESAM-Vitale first goal is to replace the paper health care reimbursement forms by electronic forms, thus slowing down the costs increase as well as boosting up the insured patient reimbursement timeframe. The second goal is to provide Health-Care information and services for Health Professionals like emergency medical information and/or secure remote medical database access with identification, authentication, certification and data encryption. GIE SESAM-Vitale is ISO 9001 certified since 27th June 2001. GIE SESAM-Vitale is a non-profit organization funded by public and private Health Insurance companies including the complementary insurances since 2001. Involvement in European initiatives:

• Co-ordinator of the NETLINK HC-4016 Project, supported by DG INFSO (former DG XIII), Telematics Applications, Health Care.
• Co-ordinator of the TRANSCARDS Project, supported by DG EMPL (former DG V), Social Security for Migrant Workers Applications.
• Contributing to E-EUROPE Smart Cards activities (TB4 FINREAD Multi-application Readers, TB11 Health Cards “White Paper” of recommendations document to be issued).
• Co-ordinator of NETC@RDS Project Phase A-1 Market Validation, supported by DG INFSO, TEN-TELECOM project.

Role in the Consortium:

• Project general coordinator and leader of the WP2 Products integration and packaging.

Institution full name: Caisse Nationale de l’Assurance-Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés
(National Main Health Insurance Fund of Salaried Workers)
Status: Project member linked to GIE SESAM-VITALE.
Address: 66, avenue du Maine – 75694 Paris CEDEX 14, France

Economic scope

CNAMTS covers over 80 % of the population in France . Covered risks include disease, pregnancy, injury and decease. In 1998, 1,2 Billions of settlement sheets have been processed for near 100 Billions EURO of Health care benefits. The estimated amount of health expenditures reimbursement planned for year 2002 is close to 100 Billion EURO as well. CNAMTS is an experienced contributor as partner of member in Pan-European Projects, amongst them:

• NETLINK HC-4016 Project, supported by DG INFSO (former DG XIII), Telematics Applications, Health Care.
• TRANSCARDS Project, supported by DG EMPL (former DG V), Social Security for Migrant Workers Applications.
• NETC@RDS Project Phase A-1 Market Validation, supported by DG INFSO, TENTELECOM project.

Role in the Consortium:
NETC@RDS service provider. Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement.

Institution full name: Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie de Paris (Main Health Insurance Fund Local Office at Paris)
Status: Project member associated to GIE SESAM-VITALE
Address: 21, rue Georges-Auric, 75948 Paris CEDEX 19, France

Economic scope

The health insurance local office of Paris is a organization for social protection witch pays yearly health cares costs for 2 500 000 persons. Its geographical situation and its sociological composition of insured persons provides a great knowledge and skills concerning insured administrative file management, amongst them French as well as foreign patients mainly from E-U Member-States.

Role in the Consortium

Control of foreign insured entitlement to receiving health care abroad. A Management Committee will be formed between CPAM, Hospitals from the area of Paris and CLEISS. This admitted evaluation has been supported by a specialized department for many years. In the context of the NETC@RDS project, the local office of Paris (CPAM) has still created links and wishes to bring its experience in health services to an Paris Hospital Georges- Pompidou and the Clearing house national office (CLEISS) to make services exchange an free movement of persons easier. CPAM will test data exchange including identification items for admitted persons in Hospital, using a single card in order to:

- to check data integrity, consistency and reliability,
- to control the quality of the exchanged information.

Institution full name: Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (Hospitals of the region of Paris)
Status: Project member associated to GIE SESAM-VITALE
Address: 3, avenue Victoria 75184 Paris Cedex 04 - France

AP-HP is based in the Paris metropolitan area, with about 11 millions inhabitants. Although 41 hospitals constitute the AP-HP, it has a single budget, of approximately 5 thousand millions euros, making it the largest European hospital group. Because of its dimension, APHP is under the administrative authority of the Ministry in charge of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior. It employs 90 000 people and includes 26 000 beds. It is the largest public hospital Organization in Europe. It is also a university teaching hospital centre, a health care centre and a research centre.

- 4.673 millions of consultations for out patients in year 2002
- 1.003.700 inpatients in year 2002

Role in the Consortium: Responsible for demonstrator set-up, roll-out and follow-up in the pilot region.

Institution full name: Centre National des Professionnels de Santé (Health Professionals National Association)
Status: Project member linked to GIE SESAM-VITALE
Address: 22 Avenue de Villiers, 75849 PARIS CEDEX 17, France
Website: http://cnps.netmedicom.com

Economic scope

The Health Professionals is composed of 25 full-member National Associations. It is represented in all French departments both in France and overseas. CNPS objectives are:

- To encourage and co-ordinate various studies with a view to solving the common problems concerning different professions, and to contribute to the definition of a better sanitary and social policy.
- To inform public opinion of a necessity of such a policy of its financing and of the necessary ways and means of implementing such a policy
- To defend the professional interests common to different health-care professionals, and to this end, to be certain of their representativity in all national and international instances.
- To inform the members of each professional sector of the specific problems encountered by other sectors, and of overall health care problems.
- To make all national and international instances aware of the positions adopted by the Association.
- To create or participate in the creation and management of all works or institution able to help members of health-care professional, notably in facilitating their installation, their equipment, and the exercise of the profession of each member, or by ensuring their personal and family security through providence societies, retirement benefits, etc.

The CNPS designates the members of:
- The National Health Conference
- The Observatory of the demography of health-care professionals, and of the evolution of their disciplines
- The National Office for the indemnisation of medical accidents, and of iatrogenic and nosoconial infections
- The National Commission on medical accidents, and of similar related commissions and consultative committees

It is also empowered to negotiate the framework of the National common agreement concerning all health-care Professions.

Role in the Consortium: To contribute to define additional services (WP8) in view of the eEHIC (WP9) deployment.

Institution full name: Zentralinstitut für die Kassenärztliche Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
(Central Research Institute of Ambulatory Health Care in the Federal Republic of Germany)
Status: Project Contractor.
Address: Herbert-Lewin-Platz 2, 10623 Berlin,Deutschland.
Website: http://www.zi-berlin.de/

On behalf of the National and Regional Authorities:

• acting as representative of all physicians working outside hospitals in Germany,
• Cooperation with the national Ministry of Health,
• AOK Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, Germany,
• Cooperation with all relevant organizations in the area of health policy

Economic scope

The Central Research Institute of Ambulatory Health Care in the Federal Republic of Germany (Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is a non-profit research institute. It was founded in 1973 and is financed by the indirect contributions of the about 120.000 SHI-accredited physicians that are registered at the legal sickness funds. The field of research concentrates on issues of the health system with priority to out-patient care. The research work of the Central Research Institute is based on empirical inquiries and anonymous data of the patient's demand for services as documented by out-patient care providers. A focus is given to disease management programs, screening programs and the introduction of secure telematic applications in healthcare.

There is a close co-operation between the Central Research Institute, university departments and - if projects are financed by public funds - the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Health. The Central Research Institute presents the results of its research work in a progress report or in reports given on the occasion of national and international congresses dealing with research of health systems and health economics.

The Central Research Institute took part in previous European projects focused on the use of chip cards in healthcare such as DIABCARD, CARDLINK and NETLINK.

Institution full name: AOK Baden-Württemberg (Local Health Insurance Company)
Status: Project Member linked to ZI
Address: Heilbronner Straße 184, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Website: www.aok.de/bw

Economic scope

Germany has a compulsory health care system with more than 300 providers (health insurance companies). Some of them insure only a few thousand persons. The AOK-System is organized in geographical accordance with the member states of the federal German system. The AOK Baden-Württemberg has about 8000 employees and insures 4,1 million persons, which is about half of the population of Baden-Württemberg. Its annual turnover is about 8,5 billion Euros. Because of its decentralized structure, the AOK Baden-Württemberg maintains 292 service offices. Therefore most visitors or workers/students, who come to Baden- Württemberg carrying an E 111/E 128-form with them and who need immediate medical treatment, contact one of AOK service offices (in order to get a treatment paper-form), because they are the nearest reachable ones. In consequence the AOK-system pre-finances more than 80 % of all costs concerning the treatment on basis of the E 111/E 128-forms. The AOK was engaged in the Netlink-Project which allowed French dialysis patients the treatment in German dialysis-centers on basis of the French health insurance card (with a stored E 112 form).

Role in the Consortium: NETC@RDS service provider. Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement. Responsible For demonstrator set-up roll-out and follow-up in the pilot region.

Institution full name: Institut für Pflege und Gesundheitssystemforschung (Institute for care and health systems research)
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria.

On behalf of the National and Regional Authorities:

• Hauptverband der Österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger (Main Association of Austrian Social Insurance Institutions).
• OÖ Gebietskrankenkasse (Social Insurance Institution of Upper Austria).
• Tiroler Gebietskrankenkasse (Social Insurance Institution of Tyrol)
• Vorarlberger Gebietskrankenkasse (Social Insurance Institution of Vorarlberg)

Economic scope:

IPG is a research institute of the University of Linz/Faculty of Business, Economics and Social sciences. It is mostly funded by research projects. The Institute includes 2 departments. The first one is the Department of Health System Research, located at the University of Linz,
and the second is the Department of Nursing Care Research, located in Vienna. It was founded in 1992 as an interdisciplinary Institute. The mainly involved professions are: Physicians, Social Scientists, Economists and Computer Scientists.

Institution full name: Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger (Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions)
Status: Project Member linked to IPG Linz
Address: Kundmanngasse 21, 1030 Wien, Austria

On behalf of the National Authority: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Frauen.

Economic scope

The Austrian Social Insurance has a decentralized structure and comprises health-, accidentand pension insurances. Due to historical reasons the Social Insurance is structured geographically as well as based on the occupation of the insured - 25 independent bodies, the local insurance institutions, are responsible for the social insurance. All insurers belong to the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions. This umbrella Organization is responsible for safeguarding general social security interests and for representing the social security institutions in matters of common concern (e.g. concluding contracts with doctors, Hospitals, etc.). It also represents the Austrian social security system in dealings with similar Organizations abroad and, in an international context, acts as a liaison body in matters of health, accident and pension insurance.

Role in the Consortium:
- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement.
- As WP4 Leader, responsible for the NETC@RDS pilot regions set-up, roll-out and follow-up at regional, national and European level.

Institution full name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Informatics Laboratory Computer Division
Status: Project Contractor
Address: PO Box : 495, Post Code : 540 06, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Website: http://www.auth.gr

On behalf of the National Authorities:

• Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
• IKA (main National Sickness Insurance Fund).

The University of Thessaloniki

The University of Thessaloniki is by far the largest university establishment in Greece. The number of students enrolled is about 56.000 in 35 Faculties that cover the full range off scientific disciplines, some of them unique in Greece. The teaching and research staff consists today of over 1650 professors and lecturers and 2700 support teaching and technical personnel. The Faculty of Technology consists today of seven Departments. The Informatics laboratory is part of the Computers Division of the Faculty of Technology.

The Informatics Laboratory

The Informatics laboratory was established in 1992 and has as its main objectives to undertake research work in informatics and to support the educational and practical training activities in informatics of the students of the faculty of technology. The laboratory is well equipped with a variety of modern computers and other informatics hardware and software. This currently includes over seventy modern workstations and personal computers. It is also well connected to local, university wide and international networks.

Research Activities - Projects

The laboratory is active today in several research areas, mostly through research programs financed by the European Commission and the Greek Science and Research council. These include the areas of Health care informatics, database systems design and implementation, information security, database security and Health care informatics. It also maintains close links with the AHEPA university Hospital.

Institution full name: Idrima Koinonikon Asfaliseon (Greek Social Security Organization)
Status: Project Member linked to AUTh
Address: Agiou Kostantinou 8, Athens 10024, Greece
Website: http://www.ika.gr

Economic scope:

IKA is the largest Social Security Organization in Greece. It covers 5,530,000 workers and employees and provides 830,000 pensioners with retirement pension. IKA covers those in dependent employment in Greece or abroad for an employer who is based in Greece, as well as those who offer full-time or part-time personal labour on commissioned work agreements and are not insured with any other Main Insurance agency. IKA also covers certain groups of people who offer their labour to various employers at various times and whose insurance is realized through their Unions or Insurance Associations, (e.g. porters, news-stand vendors, slaughterhouse workers etc.) or through special provisions (e.g. exclusive nurses).

Role in the Consortium:

- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement.
- Responsible for demonstrators set-up, roll out, and follow-up in the pilot regions.

Institution full name: Regione Lombardy (Italian Local Health authority)
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Via Pola 9/11 20124 Milano - Italy

Economic scope:

Lombardy is the fourth largest region in Italy, with an extension of 23.860 square kilometres. With 9.065.440 inhabitants (15,72% of the national population), Lombardy is Italy’s most populated region. It is subdivided into 11 provinces and 1.546 municipalities. Considering the HealthCare provision (which in Italy is fully delegated to Regions within the framework of nationally agreed “minimum service levels”), Lombardy has in place an infrastructure composed of 113 public and 83 private Hospitals. Healthcare territorial services are delivered through a network of 15 Local Healthcare Units (ASLs) and about 8280 GPs.

In 1997, a split between purchasers of care (mainly ASLs) and providers of care (mainly Hospitals – both public and private - which are also responsible for secondary care) has been introduced through a Regional law which is currently by far the most advanced in Italy. The global budget for healthcare is about 12.300 million Euro and represents more than 60% of the global regional budget. Secondary care providers are now paid through a fee for service scheme (with the notable exception of transplants, emergency services, teaching and research facilities) while GPs are paid according to a capitation system. Each year ASLs receive a budget based on a number of criteria including resident population, mortality index, elderly index, numbers of births, Hospitalisations index etc.. This budget is used by ASLs for purchasing healthcare services on behalf of their citizens from contracted providers, according to a “Strategic Plan” which is submitted for approval to the Regional
Health Ministry. The latter is also responsible for controlling quality and appropriateness of the services delivered by Hospitals and ASLs.

The Regional Government aims to have a better control on the healthcare request and provision to individual patient, from Primary Care upwards. To achieve this objective the Regional Healthcare Information System is currently undergoing a vast redesign and reengineering process. The identified priorities are:

• Upgrading of human resources on the use of the new technologies
• redesign of health information flows;
• implementation of a telematic infrastructure;
• realisation of a private network using a public network, thanks to the development of dedicated middleware;
• introduction of smart cards for citizens’ identification and for carrying emergency data;
• improvement of interoperability for all regional health services, including emergency;
• deployment of booking systems to improve healthcare information and service access for citizens.

The budget of the Regional Authority for informatics in heath care is about 49 million EUROs in the year 2000. This amount is not a consolidate budget for the public regional heath care system, because it is not considerate the amount devoted directly from the healthcare Public Structure. During the year 1999, 7,7 million EUROs was assigned from the Region (50% funded from the regional HealthCare Structure) to improve the information systems of Health Care Units and of public Hospitals; funds will be given within June 2000 and the corresponding activities are to be completed within the first half of the 2001.

Role in the Consortium:

- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement.
- Responsible for Regional pilot set-up and roll-out.

Institution full name: Regione del Veneto – Giunta Regionale (Department of Health and Social Services)
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Palazzo Molin - San Paolo, 2513, 30125 Venezia, Italy

Veneto is situated in the north-east of Italy and is divided into seven provinces from the Lake of Garda to the Dolomites. It covers 18,380 square km and has about 4.4 million inhabitants that live in 580 cities. About 71% of the population live in small towns with less than 30,000
inhabitants and the average population density is 244.2 per square km. Veneto is one of the Italian regions with a positive growth rate (0,5%) due to a favourable social rate (5.7%) and an increasing population above the age of 65 (17.5%) that gives an elderly population index of 132.6%. The Regional Government is based in the city of Venice.

With reference to the health regional system, the Veneto region provide health and social services thanks to 21 local health units (called Aziende Sanitarie Local - ASLs or Unità Locali Socio Sanitarie – ULSS) and 2 Hospital Trusts.

The local health units manage GP contracts, polyclinic, Hospital and other health care and social services, health promotion and prevention of communicable diseases at local level. The health care system is funded mainly through taxation. There are mainly public Hospitals, funded through a predetermined budget and primary care physicians are paid mainly by capitation. The local health units as well as the Hospital trusts are managed by general directors appointed by the region.

The old Regional Community Health Plan (1996-1998) and the new, that has to be approved in these months, are a unique integrated planning tool, prescribing the line of development of the community health system for the next three years. An important point identifies lines of research on the basic of regional needs and the priorities that have been highlighted both within the European Union and elsewhere. The actions to achieve health objectives for the next three years are :

• The control and treatment of diseases having a major social impact.
• The health of mothers and their children, the protection of minors and action regarding adolescents.
• Mental health: psychiatry, neuropsychiatry in childhood and adolescence, and related disabilities.
• Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
• The fight against kidney diseases.
• Urgent treatment of neurosurgical patients.
• Accident prevention and safeguarding of health in the home and workplace.
• Food safety.
• Protection of the elderly and disabled.
• The prevention of drug addiction and action to promote social integration.

Institution full name: MEDTEL Telematics in health care
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Veletrzni 67, CZ 17000 Praha 7, Czech Republic

Economic scope:

“Medtel“ means “telematics in health care”. The definition of health telematics published by WHO follows: “Health telematics is a complex term covering health related activities, services and remote data transfer systems operating via information and communication technologies, which are realized in order to support health, illness control, and health care from a general point of view, as well as to support education, management, and research in health care.” Therefore, health telematics is a discipline closely connected with general informatics and emphasizing communication. MEDTEL does not perceive it as narrow concentration on technical means and solutions, but it interprets this discipline from a complex and systematic point of view, with emphasis on the opinions and needs of users – health institutions and, consequently, patients.

Why Is It Being Established?

In 1999, EHTEL (European Health Telematics Association), a non-profit European association, was established. EHTEL was founded with the aim of organizing a continuous democratic and neutral platform, where actors of different categories could meet and formulate together constructive approaches useful for all of them. The actors are considered:

• Authorities dealing with health care (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, schools, research establishments);
• Health care providers;
• Health insurance companies;
• Associations of patients, citizens, and interest groups;
• Business companies operating in the field of health care.

Based on MEDTEL’s experience with the development, management, and provision of telematics in Czech health care and with regard to the trends in this field in the countries of the European Union, MEDTEL can become a basis of the national network of health telematics and, consequently, a partner of European organizations, particularly of the ETHEL network of health telematics.

Institution full name: Vseobecna zdravotni pojistovna CR (General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic)
Status: Project Member linked to MEDTEL
Address: Orlicka 4/2020, CZ 130 00 Praha 3, Czech Republic

The General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (hereinafter referred to only as the VZP CR) was established by law and carries out public health insurance. The VZP CR ensures the collection of insurance payments for public health insurance and the covering of health care from the means of health insurance and other activities. The Organizational structure of the VZP CR consists of the Central Insurance Company, 77 district insurance companies and offices. The bodies of the VZP CR ensure the participation of the insured persons, the employers of insured persons and the state in the management of the VZP CR. The VZP CR keeps a register of persons insured with public health
insurance and is the administrator of the special account of public health insurance.

The General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic has, since its establishment in 1992, become the main pillar of the Czech health service. Almost 7 million of the 10 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic are insured with the VZP CR, which pays on their behalf over 80 % of all payments for health care covered from public health insurance. The VZP CR is therefore the main guarantee of the reliability and availability of medical care in the Czech Republic.

On a long-term basis the VZP CR is the chief initiator of the modern identification of the insured on the basis of smart cards. After the pilot project in the years 1996 – 2000 it began in 2003 an extensive analysis of the use of an electronic identifier as the card for persons insured with health insurance, with the idea of gradual implementation of this system up to the year 2008.

Role in the Consortium:

- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement

Institution full name: Všeobecná zdravotná poistovna (General Health Insurance Company of Slovakia)
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Mamateyova 17, P.O.BOX 41, 850 05 Bratislava 55, Slovak Republic
Website: http://www.vszp.sk

On behalf of the National and Regional Authorities:

• Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Economic Scope:

General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poistovna) is the biggest health insurance provider within the compulsory health protection system in Slovakia. It is a public non-profit institution. It was established as the successor of the Administration of Health
Insurance Fund in 1995 pursuant to the National Council's Act on Health Insurance No.273/1994 Coll.

The General Health Insurance Company (GHIC) performs its operation through selfgoverning bodies (the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board) and executive bodies (the Head Office and 36 branches with 1,892 employees). At present, the GHIC is providing health insurance coverage for more than 3.6 million insured, i.e. almost 66,70 % of the total number of compulsory insured persons in the Slovak Republic.

According to EU Accession Treaty GHIC is defined as a Slovak liaison body for benefits in kind in Annex 4 to Regulation EEC1408/71, as well as an institution designated by competent authorities for reimbursement of costs incurred by benefits in kind in Annex 10 to Regulation EEC 1408/71.

Apart from the health insurance performance GHIC participates also in the overall innovation of the system of Slovak health service financing. GHIC cooperates closely with the competent ministries and the representatives of occupational chambers of health care providers. The
principal priorities of the GHIC are: to serve its insured at the best level, to improve the information exchange between the GHIC and the health care providers, to make performance of health insurance more efficient, to assure balance of expenditures and incomes.

GHIC communicates with general public through its own web site at www.vszp.sk. A new comprehensive information system of GHIC is being built. This enables to transform new information technology offers into a process management. This will be realised on the basis of evaluating GHIC current activities from the scope of its clients. The process management will create an environment where each Organizational component and every employee seeks an organised and joint production of results of a good value for policyholders.

Role in the Consortium:

- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement
- Responsible for national pilot set-up and roll-out.

Institution full name: Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije (Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, HIIS)
Status: Project Contractor
Address: Miklosiceva 24, SI-1507 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Website: www.zzzs.si

On behalf of the National and Regional Authorities:

• Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia

Economic scope

The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia is a public institute, statutory exclusive provider of the compulsory health insurance in Slovenia. It was founded in 1993 by the Republic of Slovenia. Its staff counts 900. Its operations cover the entire national territory, a population of
close to 2 million. The Institute performs its functions through a network of ten regional units and 46 branch offices.

Under the strategy of continual modernisation of information and Organization systems in the Slovene health care system, the Institute introduced a national health insurance card system. Since October 2000, this system serves the entire population and all health care service
providers. In the first phase, the system covers administrative functions, yet enhancement of functionality is in progress.

The card system was designed and implemented observing the relevant international standards and recommendations and is thus open to the extension of its application across the national borders, in the perspective of the envisaged EU health insurance card.

Role in the Consortium:

- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement.
- Responsible for national pilot set-up and roll-out.

Institution full name: Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár (National Health Insurance Fund Administration)
Status: Project Contractor
Adress: 1139, Budapest, XIII. Váci út 73_A., Hungary

The National Health Insurance Fund (OEP) is a separate administrative Organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. The OEP directs the administrative functions of the insurance branch and controls the calculation and payment of benefits.

The tasks of National Health Insurance Fund are the follows:

• Purchasing health care services for the insured.
• Directing the regional and other administrative bodies.
• Operating the health insurance branch system.
• Getting involved in preparation of legislation.
• Preparing and implementing the interstate agreements regarding health insurance.
• Developing and operating the data base of the health insurance system.
• Collecting, processing and analysing the statistical data of the health insurance system.

To accelerate the efficiency of the above mentioned activities; OEP want to replace the paper forms by electronic forms and to provide information, medical databases, identification-, authentication-, certification- and data encryption services for Health Professionals.

Role in consortium:
- NETC@RDS service provider.
- Contracting Party in the Multilateral Agreement
- Responsible for national pilot set-up and roll-out.

Stakes (www.stakes.fi) the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, is committed to promoting the wellbeing and health of people, and to securing equal access for all to high-quality and effective welfare and healthcare services. Stakes produces information and know-how in the field of welfare and health and forwards them to decisionmakers and other actors in the field. As a centre of expertise overseen by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Stakes bases its functions on research, development and information resources.

Stakes' Organization supports its mission and policy in practice, and is transparent to customers and facilitates expert work. Groups of each Division are hosting the R&D projects and teams of researchers and other experts. In 2002, the amount of personnel is about 420.

Director General, Prof. Vappu Taipale, MD, heads Stakes. The Management Group supports her. Stakes' functions are supervised by a counselling board of stakeholders. In addition, Stakes has a number of permanent experts and expert working groups.

From the Healthcare ICT point of view, the scientific centre of excellence in Stakes is OSKE – the Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technology in Welfare and Health, collaborating with the international and national Networks of Excellence Centres in this field (http://www.oskenet.fi/english).OSKE has got from the ministry of Social Affairs and Health the responsibility to develop requirement for the security health care communication infrastructure in Finland.

KELA provides basic security for all persons resident in Finland covering the different stages of their lives. Besides residents of Finland KELA serves persons who, while living outside Finland covered by the Finnish social security legislation.

KELA operates under the supervision of Parliament. Found 16 December 1937, KELA was the at first exclusive a pension provider. Since then, KELA ’s operations have been expanded, diversified and modernised. Especially during the 1980s and KELA was entrusted with many new programme responsibility.

KELA is the distributor and manger of Finnish national health insurance card and it has also the responsibility to develop and implement new EU-health cards

Economic scope: CZ operates as a health insurance company in the Netherlands in a competitive private health care system. CZ services about 2.6 mln affiliates with a market share of 16%. To guarantee high level health care for these affiliates health care contracts have been conducted with about 100 hospitals and with more than 30.000 health care providers.
CZ has about 2.500 employees and a turnover of € 4.3 billion a year.

In the Netherlands the data communication (entitlement check and billing) between health care providers and health care insurers is operated by the national portal Vecozo.

CZ has a lot of experience with cross border health care: For CZ affiliates in border regions, contracts have been conducted with Belgian hospitals, and as a result of a cooperation with AOK Rheinland in Germany easy access to German health care is provided. Dedicated logistics and administration protect CZ affiliates from paperwork and bureaucracy

CZ is the national liaison for Dutch inhabitants, who are working abroad.

Role in the Consortium: Netc@rds service provider. Contract partner in the General Agreement

VECOZO has been founded in 2002 by three Dutch health insurance companies. Meanwhile VECOZO has six shareholders (health insurance companies) which represent 65% of the total Dutch insured population. VECOZO supports the following main services:

Developing and maintaining a solid base for save internet communication and different transparent functionalities between different parties in health care. The communication structure is based on a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
Developing and maintaining an internetportal. On this portal it is possible for the health providers to check insurance data of their patients. This is supported by a online realtime transaction portal and by XML-messages. All Dutch health insurance companies are connected to this portal so that every Dutch citizen can be found. Even it is possible to send the digital invoices from the health providers to the health insurance companies by the VECOZO portal. This is also supported by the online realtime transaction portal as by XML-messages.
Developing en maintaining the EHIC portal for several health insurance companies (70% of the Dutch market). VECOZO also contracted two parties for the production, personalisation and deliverance of the ordered EHIC’s.

The Dutch government considers VECOZO as the main portal for administrative internet communication in health care. So all the Dutch health insurance companies are connected to VECOZO and already over more than 20.000 health providers (> 55.000 users) use the portal.
Monthly there are more than 100 million transactions for the insurance check (for 16.3 million citizens). The monthly by VECOZO operated digital invoices received from Dutch health providers amount to € 1.8 billion. (75% of the total turnover in healthcare).

Role in the consortium: Organisation running the Dutch Netc@rds portal, bound to CZ as GA contract partner.