Taiwan's Digital Health Strategy: Transforming Care with AI and FHIR

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Facing aging populations and workforce shortages, Taiwan is pursuing a national digital transformation under the 'Healthy Taiwan' vision. The goal is an integrated system utilizing big data, AI, and cloud infrastructure. Key initiatives include unifying electronic medical records across over 400 hospitals using international standards like Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), ensuring seamless patient data movement. The MediCloud system provides real-time access to medical histories and medication records, improving clinical decision-making. At the individual level, the 'My Health Bank' platform encourages continuous personal health management by integrating wearable device data. In oncology, FHIR is used to exchange Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data, accelerating treatment access. These advancements—including virtual insurance cards and telemedicine—are dissolving geographical barriers, shifting care from reactive treatment toward proactive health management. Governance involves 19 national AI centers overseeing development and validation, with over 50 AI products receiving regulatory approval. Taiwan demonstrates its capacity to contribute to global data sharing and smart health models, establishing itself as a model for international collaboration.