I.-The support institution designated by the constituent agreement performs the following functions on behalf of the institutions that are members of the consortium:
1° The strategy, optimisation and joint management of a convergent and interoperable hospital information system, in particular the implementation of a patient file enabling coordinated patient care within the establishments belonging to the consortium. Information concerning a person being cared for by a public health institution that is part of a grouping, or by an armed forces hospital when it is associated with the regional hospital grouping, may be shared under the conditions set out in article L. 1110-4. As part of the management of the information system, the support establishment implements technical measures to ensure compliance with the obligations set out in law no. 78-17 of 6 January 1978 relating to information technology, files and civil liberties;
When an army hospital is associated with the regional hospital grouping, the convergent and interoperable hospital information system is linked to the information system of this hospital.
2° Management of a regional medical information department. Notwithstanding article L. 6113-7, practitioners transmit the nominative medical data required to analyse activity to the doctor responsible for the grouping’s medical information;
3° The purchasing function. When an army hospital is associated with a regional hospital grouping, the support establishment for this grouping may carry out all or part of the purchasing function on behalf of the army hospital;
4° Coordinating the group’s paramedical training institutes and schools and the continuing education and professional development plans for the staff of the establishments belonging to the group;
5° The definition of common strategic guidelines for the prospective management of jobs and skills, attractiveness and recruitment, remuneration and working hours of medical, odontological, pharmaceutical and midwifery staff, within the limits of the competencies of the establishments involved with regard to these staff. These guidelines, drawn up in line with the grouping’s medical strategy, are submitted to the strategic committee for approval. The support institution ensures that the partner institutions comply with these guidelines.
II – The support institution for the regional hospital grouping may manage joint medical teams on behalf of the institutions involved in the grouping, set up inter-institutional clusters as defined in the grouping’s founding agreement, as well as administrative, logistical, technical and medico-technical activities.
Staff from army hospitals associated with the grouping may participate in joint medical teams and inter-institutional clusters.
III – The establishments involved in the regional hospital grouping and the army hospitals associated with the grouping jointly organise diagnostic and interventional imaging activities, where appropriate within an inter-establishment centre. They jointly organise medical biology and pharmacy activities under the same conditions.
IV – The university hospital centres mentioned in the second paragraph of article L. 6141-2 coordinate, for the benefit of the establishments belonging to the regional hospital groupings with which they are associated:
1° Initial training of medical professionals ;
2° Research missions, in compliance with article L. 6142-1 ;
3° Management of medical demography;
4° Reference and referral missions.