The RACSEL network has been a key player in advancing cross-border health interoperability in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since 2014. The network is made up of governments from their ministries of health and is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank as a regional public good. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also supports the initiative.
Currently, the network is promoting the use of IPS for cross-border health interoperability through the implementation of IPS-LAC, an adaptation of IPS for the region based on an implementation guide. To advance this process, regional connectathons are organized with the participation of LAC countries under the supervision of RACSEL and IHE. The most recent was held in November 2023 in São Paulo, Brazil, where 16 countries from the LAC region exchanged the IPS-LAC document through their national FHIR server infrastructures. Technical teams from the LAC Ministries of Health participated in person, using the IHE MHD profile to store, retrieve, and deploy IPS-LAC documents.
In October 2024, the LACPASS project will hold a new Connectathon 
, featuring renewed challenges that will include the concept of Person Mediator Exchange Access using Smart Health Links through the WHO-supported Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN). The initiative is evolving into a regional project called the Pan American Highway for Digital Health (PH4H), and it is highly likely that IPS-LAC will be implemented in real-world scenarios next year.
Find out more through the following links:
- The regional network for Health Ministries
- The IPS LAC implementation guide
- The YouTube Channel
- Detailed video from IPS LACPass Connectathon in Brazil in November 2023