4.2 Chapter II — Membership

4.2.1 Article 5 – Membership

Applications and Admissions:

Applications shall be examined by the Board of the Institute, based on a report prepared by the Secretary General.

Admissions shall be submitted to a vote by the General Assembly at its next ordinary meeting.

Given that the Institute shall be firstly and above all the Federation of ProRec centres, the membership of the Institute is only open to those ProRec centres that are actually registered in European Countries, in conformity with the stated rules that define precisely what a ProRec centre is and what it is not. A first version of such rules has been provided in deliverable D 6.1 of the PROREC project. They have been refined in order to make them more precise and explicit in deliverable D 2.3 of the WIDENET project, an annex of the latter providing a grid meant to help weigh the quality of applications against explicit criteria.

A fundamental generic set of rules is that:

• ProRec centres are designed with the goal of promoting the implementation and use of Electronic Health Records Systems, and the dissemination of quality criteria for such systems,
• ProRec centres are established in general as registered not-for-profit organisations, representing primarily, and in a balanced way, both users and providers of Electronic Health Records systems,
• Would other organisations, institutions, or governmental bodies that may play an active role in the development, implementation, and use of Health Records be members of ProRec centres, they cannot be granted any prominent or leading role in the ruling and management of those ProRec centres,
• A ProRec centre is established with regard to a geographical area of influence. Without prejudice of specific rules established otherwise, a geographical area of influence may be a country, a region, or a group of countries or regions. Any geographical area of influence can be represented by one ProRec centre only, and no overlap may exist between two geographical areas of influence. To avoid unnecessary difficulties, whenever the geographical area of influence of a ProRec centre does not match national boundaries, its delineation is subject to a vote by the General Assembly of the Institute; a majority of two thirds of the delegates is required.

Applications shall be supported by providing the text of their articles in English as well as in the local original language, the acknowledgement of receipt of the registration of the centre by the relevant authorities, and the list of members of their Board, their background (for instance: users or providers of solutions), together with their specific functions within the centre whenever relevant. Any ProRec centre shall provide due evidence of its observation of the above mentioned basic set of rules; in this understanding, the two main types of actors have to be represented in entities that apply as ProRec centres are: (1) users (individuals or organisations), (2) providers (companies, institutions, others).

Rights and duties:

Members are granted two votes each, and they designate up to two delegates —one representative of the users, and one representative of the providers— to the General Assembly, as well as their substitutes in case these delegates are not available.

The process of designating the delegates, as well as of their substitutes, shall be an internal matter for each ProRec centre.

Members shall pay annual membership fees as decided by the General Assembly.

Members are granted rights to the assets of the Institute.

4.2.2 Article 6 – Observers and honorary members

Observers:

On the advice of the Board of the Institute, and in order to enhance co-operation in the field of Electronic Health Record systems, the General Assembly of the Institute may at any time accept observers at its meetings.

This status can be used, for instance, to strengthen ties with such institutions, or organisations as Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN), International Standards Organisation (ISO), representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), or to welcome civil servants or officers of the European Union.

This status of Observers also applies to those potential ProRec centres that are not yet registered and/or actually implemented, and that cannot provide evidence of their real activity. Potential ProRec centres that are granted the status of Observers may designate up to two delegates at General Assemblies of the Institute, one as a representative of the users, and one as a representative of the providers.

Other Observers may designate one ex officio delegate.

At meetings of the General Assembly, Observers shall be entitled to speak but not to vote. Observers cannot be elected as members of the Board of Directors.

Honorary Members:

The General Assembly of the Institute shall be empowered to co-opt by an absolute majority individual persons who have made a distinguished contribution to the development, implementation, or use of Health Records, or who have contributed significantly to the activities of the Institute, as Honorary Members.

Honorary Members are dispensed from paying any membership fees.

At meetings of the General Assembly, Honorary Members shall be entitled to speak but not to vote. Honorary Members cannot be elected as members of the Board of Directors.

4.2.3 Article 7 – Membership fees

Members shall pay annual membership fees as decided annually by the General Assembly.

A temporary exemption or reduction of fees can be granted by the Executive Body to a member, in respect to its particular financial situation. Such a decision requires an unanimous vote of the Executive Body.

4.2.4 Article 8 – Termination

Membership shall be terminated:

1. by declaration of the Member, the resignation to take effect starting from the next meeting of the General Assembly;
2. by a two thirds majority of the General Assembly:
• for serious offence;
• if the conditions of membership are no longer fulfilled;
• for being more than one year in arrears with payment of membership fees.