Pictured left to right: Andreas Lang, GSG; Martyn Caplin, Royal Free Hospital; Wouter de Herder, Erasmus MC; Philippe Ruszniewski, Hopital Beaujon Clichy; Barbro Eriksson, Uppsala University Hospital; Bertram Wiedenmann, Charite University Hospital; and Ulrich Knigge, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen.

The task force established a pilot certification process based on validated objectives, independent evaluation and auditing in association with a European-accredited medical health care evaluation company, GSG Dortmund. The test phase was rigorous, requiring months of preparation at each center. The hospitals selected to participate in the test phase (based on a high number of patients treated in their centers) included: Charite University Hospital in Berlin; Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen; Royal Free Hospital, London; Hopital Beaujon, Clichy in Paris; Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam; and University Hospital, Uppsala in Sweden.