Danish Healthcare Data Standardization: MedCom Drives International Efforts Using FHIR

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MedCom is promoting medical data standardization in Denmark based on HL7 FHIR. The company has already implemented FHIR-based message sending for advisories regarding hospital stays and enabled the sharing of diagnostic information via FHIR documents within the Danish Health Data Authority's patient index. Furthermore, they are actively developing FHIR services for future EHMI infrastructure. HL7 (Health Level Seven) is an international standards organization that develops standards for exchanging, integrating, and sharing health data, including HL7 v2, CDA, and FHIR. FHIR, in particular, is the latest HL7 standard designed for secure and efficient healthcare information sharing, forming the foundation for many national health data initiatives worldwide. MedCom actively participates in standardization work within HL7 International, HL7 Europe, and HL7 Denmark to align national standards with the international ecosystem. Global analysis shows that FHIR is used in approximately 90 countries, with 71% of responding nations using it in more than one use case. Global challenges include a lack of FHIR expertise among vendors (59%) and uncertainty due to shifts in national strategies. In response, MedCom advocates for investing in FHIR education, funding national terminology servers, and making vendor FHIR competence a requirement in tenders. MedCom aims to build a modern, consistent, and internationally aligned digital infrastructure, continuing its efforts for the benefit of healthcare professionals, businesses, citizens, and society.