Ukrainian Association for Computer Medicine (UACM) - independent not governmental noncommercial organization, was set up in August 1992 in Kharkiv, where the IV World Congress of World Federation of Ukrainian Physicians Societies was taking place.

UACM became a national member of International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) in September 1993 (Kyoto, Japan).

In May 1994 UACM was adopted as a National Member of European Federation of Medical Informatics (EFMI) at the IV European Congress on Medical Informatics (Lisbon, Portugal).

In 2007 UACM became the National member of the European Association of Healthcare IT Managers (HITM).

UACM unites scientific research institutes, universities, scientific societies, enterprises and hospitals, Internet providers, software companies, computer medical equipment companies and insurance companies. There are a large number of specialists as the UACM individual members.

Purposes:

The creation of new medical information technologies for the creation of eHealth and the reform of the health care system in Ukraine;

Working out new medical software and bio-engineering systems.

Carrying out independent expert control and preparing materials to receive certificate.

Putting the best Ukrainian and foreign systems into medical practice.

Organizing educational activity to train for new and postgraduate education; patent search; author's rights protection.

Contacts with IMIA, EFMI and HITM members, foreign scientific societies, universities.

Participation in state and foreign programs of Healthcare Informatization in Ukraine.

Organizing symposia, forums, exhibitions and competitions.

The structure of the UACM has Scientific Council including 69 leading scientist-experts in medical informatics, medicine, radio electronics from Ukraine, Russia, USA, UK, Canada, France, Israel and Turkey.

Directions of the Scientific Council activity are:

- elaboration and discussion of complex computerization programs in various fields of healthcare;

- analysis and sharing of experience of computer technologies usage according to the situation in Ukraine;

- consideration of foreign proposals dealing with introduction and selling of IT in the field of medicine to Ukraine and making proposals to the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine to buy them;

- progressive directions on elaborating and consideration of possible joint projects;

- carrying out expert estimations for receiving state licenses.

The UACM experts has worked out the first Concept of State Policy of Informatization of the Ukraine Healthcare and The National Program of Healthcare Informatization (J. "Clin. Inform. and Telemed.", 2005. V2. №1, p. YII; 2006. V.3. № 4, p. 3 (www.uacm.kharkov.ua/eng/).

The Concept of creation of the direct access National Healthcare Network (UkrMedNet) has been developed by UACM experts. The UACM is an initiator of the National Program "Hospital Information Systems" (2001).

Specialists of the WACM in recent years as part of the Coordination Council of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on Health Informatization have prepared a number of key documents: the Concept of Informatization of the Health Care Sector of Ukraine for 2013-2018. (J. Klin, Information and Telemed, 2013. issue 10, pp. 148-154), Projects of the State Program on Health Informatization for 2013-2018. The Law of Ukraine "On the Fundamentals of State Policy on Health " (section on informatization). Participated in the meetings of the Parliamentary Committee on Healthcare on the topics: "Informatization of Health Care of Ukraine", "Development of the National Telemedicine System: Implementation of International Standards" (May 27, 2016), spoke at the hearing in the Parliament on Health Care Reform. WHO mission (17.02.16) on the introduction of the eHealth project and the seminar of the Ministry of Education and Science, WHO, the World Bank e-Health in Ukraine (26.04.2016) .The Memorandum with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine was signed regarding the intentions with Cooperation in building a transparent and efficient electronic health system (25.11.2016). A roadmap and the principles of the first component of the e-Health system were created (22.12.2016).

A Regulation on certification information technologies in Healthcare was worked out with the help of the UACM Scientific Council and was approved by the Ministry of Healthcare, the Ministry of Justice and the State Committee for Standards. Certification Commission was set up attached to the Ministry of Healthcare. It works on the base of the Ukrainian Institute of Public Health.

The United Commission on Telemedicine of the Ministry of Healthcare and the National Academy of Medical Sciences has been created in 1996. The Commission co-operates with the UN, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and European Commission on Telemedicine (DGXIII). In 1998 under the initiative of UACM started the Ukrainian-American Project for monitoring of birth defects in Ukraine.

The UACM Web-portal working in 3 languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English from 1996.

Since a 1993 UACM conducts International Conferences “Computer Medicine” (IT in Reforming Healthcare), Kharkiv, Ukraine). The UACM have organized 1st and 2nd World virtual Congress on Heart Rate Variability. In 2010 I-st Congress "Medical and Biological Informatics and Cybernetics" with international participation has been carried out (23-26 June, Kiev). In 2011 Conference with the international participation “Medical & Biological Informatics and Cybernetics: Steps of the Development” has been carried out (20-23 April, 2011 Kiev) www.uacm.kharkov.ua/eng/.

17-18 October 2012 was held in Kiev International Conference "Informatization of Healthcare in Ukraine: Prospects for Development". (Press release submitted to J. Clin. Inform. and Telemed. 2012. V.8. Iss.. 9. pp. 5 -7)

In 2013, two international conferences were held: "Information technologies in cardiology", 11-12 April 2013 (Kharkiv), (Press release submitted to J. Clin. Inform. and Telemedicine. 2013. T.9. Iss. 10. pp. 5 -7); and "Information Technology in neurology, psychiatry, epileptology and Medical Statistics", 17-18 October 2013 (Kiev) (Press release submitted to J. Clin. Inform. and Telemedicine. 2014. Vol.10. Iss. 11. pp. 5 -7). It was attended by well-known experts from Ukraine, Russia and Europe.

In 2015 II-nd Congress "Medical and Biological Informatics and Cybernetics" with international participation has been carried out (12-14 November, Kiev)

In 2016 on October 13 - 14 was held All-Ukrainian scientific and methodical videoconference with international participation "Actual issues of distance education and telemedicine 2016", Zaporozhye, Kiev

Under the initiative participation of UACM Scientific Council began to realize of the Ukrainian - American project “Monitoring of Birth Defects” (ibis-birthdefects.org).

The UACM participates in the process of certifying the specialists of the highest qualification and conferring scientific degrees in biological and medical sciences. A passport of the specialty "Biological and medical cybernetics and informatics" has been prepared for Ukraine Highest Attestation Commission (14.03.11).

On the UACM's initiative the Scientific Council Presidium of the Ministry of Healthcare has proposed to introduce into the nomenclature of hospital staff new medical professions: "Clinical informatics" and "IT in health care management".

According to the UACM Council initiative in 1995 Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education (till 1999 - Kharkiv State Advanced Training Institute for Physicians) set up a new department “Clinical Informatics and IT in Healthcare Management”.

The results of UACM activity find an application among research institutes, regional district and city hospitals, regional diagnostic centers, private consulting rooms.

UACM in 2004 have begun to edition the Journal "Clinical Informatics and Telemedicine" (ISSN 1812-7231). Editorial Board included leading experts of computer science, medicine from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Romania, Serbia, USA, France, Czechia, Sweden and Japan (www.uacm.kharkov.ua/eng/).

The UACM has been recognized by the Ministry of Healthcare, Ministry of Education and Science, State Committee of Communications and Informatization, National Academy of Science and National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine.

UACM Office: P.O.Box 7313, 61002, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Tel. +380 (57) 711 8032; Fax.: +380 (57) 711 8025
E-mail: uacm@ukr.net
WWW-sites: http://www.uacm.kharkov.ua