Healthcare Data Standardization Pilot Hospitals Expanded to Four; Field Validation to Continue Through November

[Financial News] The healthcare data standards pilot hospital program is expanding in earnest this year, with three additional institutions joining the initiative to improve interoperability of health information among medical institutions and establish a foundation for using data and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Korea Health Information Service held a joint launch briefing for the healthcare data standards pilot hospital program at The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on the 2nd. They also held a ceremony to present plaques to the newly designated hospitals.
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital became the country's first healthcare data standards pilot hospital in 2024. This year, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Wonkwang University Hospital, and Seoul Red Cross Hospital were additionally designated, bringing the total to four institutions.
MOHW has established and operates healthcare data standards that define key items, terminology, and transmission specifications. The standards are intended to improve interoperability of health information among medical institutions and create a foundation for using data and artificial intelligence (AI).
At the joint launch briefing, participants shared the implementation plans and institutional roles for this year's two healthcare data standards pilot hospital projects, which are designed to apply these standards in clinical settings. They also discussed a cooperation framework for smooth implementation and the direction of future efforts.
The healthcare data standards pilot hospital program applies the Healthcare Data Terminology and Transmission Standards in actual clinical settings to verify the feasibility of exchanging and using data among medical institutions. It also incorporates areas for improvement into national standards. This year, the program will broaden its validation scope across diverse medical environments and information systems to assess the standards' applicability and potential for wider adoption.
Key tasks include developing and enhancing an interoperability maturity assessment framework and evaluating participating institutions; supporting the development of standardized terminology sets; applying the Korean Core Exchange Data Transmission Standard (KR Core) in clinical settings and verifying interoperability among institutions; and demonstrating data exchange based on referrals and return referrals.
The Seoul National University Bundang Hospital consortium will enhance the existing maturity assessment framework into an interoperability assessment framework, drawing on the HIMSS digital health maturity assessment model used in the United States. The Catholic Central Medical Center consortium will apply FHIR-based KR Core in clinical settings and verify data exchange and interoperability among institutions during the referral and return-referral process.
The two consortia plan to complete their assessments and field demonstrations by November 30. The results will be used as foundational data for enhancing the interoperability maturity assessment framework, improving national standards, and expanding the program to other medical institutions. The initiative is expected to broaden the foundation for standardized data exchange among medical institutions and strengthen conditions for using healthcare data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the future.
Choi Kyung-il, Director of Advanced Medical Support at MOHW, said, "The expansion of the pilot hospitals will enable us to verify the applicability and interoperability of the standards across diverse medical environments." He added, "We will continue supporting their adoption in the field so that healthcare data standards can serve as a foundation for linking information among medical institutions and using artificial intelligence."
 

[email protected] Jung Myung-jin, Medical Specialist Reporter