Regional Health Agency (ARS) - Occitania

Mission

Support / Financing / Regulation

Type of actor

Institutional player

Fields of intervention

Health / Social care

Intervention zone

Regional

This player helps you innovate in the social and medico-social sector

What is a Regional Health Agency?

The ARSs are autonomous public institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. They are responsible for the regional management of the healthcare system, in line with national guidelines and tailored to the needs of the population. Their work is embodied in the regional health plans (PRS), which are developed in consultation with all healthcare stakeholders in the region. These plans set regional health goals and priorities.

Visit the ARS website

This player helps you innovate in the social and medico-social sector

Missions

  • Oversee public health policy, which includes health monitoring and safety, the definition, funding, and evaluation of prevention and health promotion initiatives, and the anticipation, preparation, and management of health crises, in coordination with the prefect;
  • Regulate the regional healthcare supply to better meet needs and ensure the efficiency of the healthcare system in the outpatient (community and hospital), inpatient, and medical-social sectors (support and assistance for the elderly and people with disabilities). In practice, this regulation is carried out through the authorization of the establishment of healthcare and medical-social facilities and services, the oversight of their operations, and the allocation of their resources.
  • Promoting the emergence of new organizations and collaborations between healthcare and medical-social professionals to support a continuum-of-care approach through the funding of pilot projects, particularly under Article 51.


The Regional Health Agencies (ARS) are responsible for regional e-health policy in their respective regions. They implement the national digital health policy at the regional level with the support of a regional e-health development support group (GRADeS), to which they delegate all or part of the regional project management responsibilities. The ARSs support the development of core digital services (deployment of the DMP, use of secure health messaging systems, regional digital services for care pathway coordination, etc.) and encourage innovative pilot projects in all areas of health policy.

I have a project—how can contacting the ARS help me? 

  • To identify the initiatives undertaken as part of the implementation of the regional e-health strategy (regional telehealth services, ongoing projects, regional tools deployed, health priorities, etc.);
  • To identify a testing ground and establish links with the regional branches of federations representing healthcare and medical-social facilities, representatives of private practitioners, user representatives, etc.;
  • To understand the current regulatory framework and access reference materials.
Schéma détaillant la valeur ajoutée de l'ARS dans la mise en œuvre  de vos projets d'innovation

At what stage of my project should I get in touch? 

  • Starting with the mock-up/prototyping phase: familiarize yourself with the e-health services currently in use, and seek out existing support programs for innovation in healthcare (e.g., calls for proposals from the DGOS, IReSP, ANR, Regional Council, etc.) depending on the project’s stage of development.
  • During the development and implementation phase: identify a pilot site and receive financial support to carry out pilot projects aligned with current thematic priorities and the schedule for calls for proposals and calls for expressions of interest. 

Do they fund projects?

Yes, the ARSs can fund pilot projects in response to calls for proposals or calls for expressions of interest.

Practical Guide

All the questions you need to ask yourself about the ARS.

Who is the right person to contact?

Each ARS consists of a headquarters and regional/departmental offices. To identify the contact person(s) responsible for digital health, consult the organizational chart of each ARS; their headquarters generally includes a division responsible for innovation, digital health, and/or information systems (e.g., the Department of Innovation, Research, and Digital Transformation at the Ile-de-France ARS; the E-Health Department within the Information Systems Division at the PACA ARS; etc.).

Do you have to pay for ARS services?

No

Can the ARS provide individualized support for my project?

Outside of specific experimental frameworks (CFP, AMI, Article 51, etc.), the ARSs cannot offer individualized support to each project leader. 

Find all the information about health care in Occitania on the regional page.

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