• October 2006: The Luxembourg government launches the eSanté action plan, which is at the origin of the creation of the Agence eSanté. Indeed, the first projects set up under this eHealth program demonstrated that healthcare professionals needed a platform that would allow them to exchange and share electronic health data.
• September 2010: The Government Council decides to create a National Agency responsible for setting up this platform for sharing and exchanging health data.
• December 17, 2010: The law of December 17, 2010 reforming the health system gives a legal basis to the Agence eSanté through articles 60ter and 60quater.
• October 25, 2011: Birth of the Agence eSanté: the actors of the health system have agreed on the creation of the economic interest group (GIE) «Agence eSanté - Agence nationale des informations partagées dans le domaine de la santé».
• March to September 2012: First recruitments which make the Agency operational with a team of 5 people.
• Today: The management of the Agence eSanté is ensured by a dynamic and multidisciplinary team made up of 40 people, headed by Mr. Ian Tewes.

According to the provisions of article 60ter and 60quater of the Social Security Code, the main role incumbent on the Agence eSanté is to ensure a better use of information in the health sector and the medico-social sector in order to ensure better coordinated patient care.

It is expected to achieve this through the implementation of:

• a platform for sharing and exchanging data in the health sector including the electronic health record (DSP)
• a Master Plan for Health Information Systems (SDSI) defining a national strategy for the interoperability of health information systems which will thus allow the different health systems to interact smoothly.

Interoperability in medical or healthcare services is the ability of two or more actors to exchange and understand health information in the same way. It is therefore the key element to guarantee the continuity of care and ensure that a patient's medical information is unambiguous, consistent and understandable throughout the patient care process.

As provided for by article 60ter of the law of December 17, 2010, “The function of  the Agence eSanté is entrusted to an Economic Interest Group (GIE), bringing together the State, the “ Caisse Nationale de Santé“ and the “Centre Commun de la Sécurité Sociale” as well as organizations representing healthcare providers and associations representing the interests of patients. [...] "

GIE Agence eSanté currently has the following members:

• Luxembourg State, represented by the “Ministère de la Santé et Ministère de la Sécurité Sociale” (Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Security)
• Caisse Nationale de Santé (National Health Fund)
• Centre Commun de la Sécurité Sociale (Joint Social Security Centre)
• Association des Médecins et Médecins Dentistes (Association of Doctors and Dentists)
• Fédération des Hôpitaux Luxembourgeois (Luxembourg Hospital Federation)
• Syndicat des Pharmaciens (Luxembourg Associations of Pharmacists)
• Fédération Luxembourgeoise des Laboratoires d’Analyses Médicales (Luxembourg Federation of Laboratories)
• Fédération COPAS (Confederation COPAS)
• Patientevertriedung (Association for the Defense of Patients’ Interests)

The governance model adopted by the G.I.E. Agence eSanté brings together, at the level of the General Assembly and the Board of Management, the relevant health actors, both from the public and private sectors and from the field of healthcare providers, or the representation of the interests of patients. Its Management Board is made up of 12 persons (*), namely:

• President : Marc Hostert

Members (the GIE member represented is shown in brackets):

• Thomas Dominique (Luxembourg State)
• Nicolas Kremer (CNS)
• Michèle Marques (CNS)
• Carlos Pereira (CNS)
• Jacques Kirsch (CCSS)
• Daniel Cardao (FHL)
• Christophe Nardin (FHL)
• René Pizzaferri (Patientevertriedung)
• Danielle Becker-Bauer (Syndicat des Pharmaciens)
• Netty Klein (COPAS)
• Mr Jean-Luc Dourson (Fédération Luxembourgeoise des Laboratoires d'Analyses Médicales)

Day-to-day management is ensured by a dynamic and multidisciplinary team led by Mr. Ian Tewes.

(*) two representatives of the «Association des Médecins et Médecins-Dentistes (AMMD)» in the process of being nominated

Our dynamic and multidisciplinary team, currently composed of ower 40 people, is headed by Mr Ian Tewes. It reflects the importance of the technological, professional and cultural stakes of the ambitious national project that it is carrying out, through the diversity of profiles (doctor, career, IT specialist, lawyer, project manager, administrator, etc.) and the mixed origin of its members.

The challenges that the healthcare ecosystem faces today are complex, global, and at the same time local specificities are keys for health professionals to deliver optimal care and patients to benefit from it.

For this reason, since the beginning, the Agence eSanté wanted to build meaningful partnerships at the local, regional, european and international level to share experiences, best practices, feedback and vision with other organizations and individuals active in the domain.