All Medical Centers in Taiwan to Achieve Electronic Medical Record Interoperability, Driven by Both Reimbursement and Evaluation
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare aims to achieve electronic medical record interoperability among all medical centers this year, with plans to gradually extend it to smaller hospitals and clinics. Initially, the ministry will encourage adoption through National Health Insurance reimbursements, but does not rule out mandatory legislation and inclusion in hospital evaluations in the future. This initiative, driven by the adoption of the FHIR standard, seeks to resolve data exchange challenges among healthcare institutions and enhance diagnostic efficiency and quality.
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- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 15:37
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 16:01 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 13, 2026 at 16:11 (10 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei, April 13) To strengthen patient data exchange among medical institutions and introduce the FHIR standard, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is striving this year to achieve electronic medical record interoperability across all medical centers in Taiwan. In the future, this will gradually expand to smaller hospitals and clinics. The plan is to initially encourage adoption through National Health Insurance (NHI) payments, and mandatory legislation and inclusion in hospital evaluations are not ruled out.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare today held the first excellent SMART application awards ceremony and international forum. SMART is a concept used to promote substitutable applications and reusable technology in the medical field, and is not limited to third-party certification frameworks. The full meaning of SMART on FHIR is Substitutable Medical Applications, Reusable Technologies on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.
Legislation would help promote the interoperability and integration of medical information systems. Kenneth D. Mandl, founder of SMART and professor at Harvard Medical School, attended the international press conference and shared that with the widespread adoption of electronic medical records in the United States, data was previously easy to store but difficult to retrieve. With the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, health data was required to be open for software development applications, promoting the flow of medical information.
Regarding whether Taiwan will move towards mandatory legislation for medical institutions to implement the FHIR standard, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chuang Jen-hsiang stated that related standards and digital infrastructure are still emerging concepts and challenges for Taiwanese medical institutions. At this stage, encouraging cooperation through the NHI system is more effective than simply enforcing it through legislation, as legislative penalties might increase pressure on medical institutions and hinder initial promotion.
Li Jian-zhang, Director of the Department of Information Management at the MOHW, further explained that the 4-year next-generation digital healthcare platform project has entered its third year this year. The first two years were mainly used to formulate FHIR standards and related processes. Last year, trial interoperability of electronic medical records was completed with MacKay Memorial Hospital, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital in Taichung, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. This year's goal is to connect the electronic medical records of all medical centers across Taiwan.
Li Jian-zhang said that in 2027 (116th year of the Republic), the plan is to achieve simultaneous interoperability for regional and district hospitals; and in 2028 (117th year), all medical institutions, including health centers and clinics, will be included in the scope of electronic medical record interoperability. The strategy is to first familiarize hospitals with the entire framework before planning relevant legislation. Experts have suggested incorporating the FHIR standard into medical evaluations, and its feasibility will be considered in the next hospital evaluation reform.
Li Jian-zhang pointed out that FHIR is like the WWW of the electronic medical record world. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources has the advantage of high data interoperability, which can solve the dilemma of lacking a unified data exchange standard and is a globally adopted new generation international standard for medical data exchange.
However, most medical institutions in Taiwan still use old formats, and there are even more than 30 different medical record systems, Li Jian-zhang said. This leads to all health data being in "silos." Even in today's information-rich era, when two medical centers in Taiwan exchange patient data, it still cannot be transmitted via computer; they must burn CDs or print paper copies. Only through the FHIR standard and related digital infrastructure can this deadlock be broken.
Li Jian-zhang stated that as medical information moves from closed systems towards cross-hospital and cross-system interoperability and integration, in the future, when people seek medical treatment at different medical institutions, relevant health data can be instantly connected with authorization, eliminating the need to repeatedly carry paper medical records or undergo unnecessary duplicate examinations. Doctors can also more quickly grasp patient history, medication records, etc., improving diagnostic efficiency and quality. (Edited by Chen Ching-fang) 1150413
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei, April 13) To strengthen patient data exchange among medical institutions and introduce the FHIR standard, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is striving this year to achieve electronic medical record interoperability across all medical centers in Taiwan. In the future, this will gradually expand to smaller hospitals and clinics. The plan is to initially encourage adoption through National Health Insurance (NHI) payments, and mandatory legislation and inclusion in hospital evaluations are not ruled out.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare today held the first excellent SMART application awards ceremony and international forum. SMART is a concept used to promote substitutable applications and reusable technology in the medical field, and is not limited to third-party certification frameworks. The full meaning of SMART on FHIR is Substitutable Medical Applications, Reusable Technologies on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.
Legislation would help promote the interoperability and integration of medical information systems. Kenneth D. Mandl, founder of SMART and professor at Harvard Medical School, attended the international press conference and shared that with the widespread adoption of electronic medical records in the United States, data was previously easy to store but difficult to retrieve. With the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, health data was required to be open for software development applications, promoting the flow of medical information.
Regarding whether Taiwan will move towards mandatory legislation for medical institutions to implement the FHIR standard, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chuang Jen-hsiang stated that related standards and digital infrastructure are still emerging concepts and challenges for Taiwanese medical institutions. At this stage, encouraging cooperation through the NHI system is more effective than simply enforcing it through legislation, as legislative penalties might increase pressure on medical institutions and hinder initial promotion.
Li Jian-zhang, Director of the Department of Information Management at the MOHW, further explained that the 4-year next-generation digital healthcare platform project has entered its third year this year. The first two years were mainly used to formulate FHIR standards and related processes. Last year, trial interoperability of electronic medical records was completed with MacKay Memorial Hospital, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital in Taichung, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. This year's goal is to connect the electronic medical records of all medical centers across Taiwan.
Li Jian-zhang said that in 2027 (116th year of the Republic), the plan is to achieve simultaneous interoperability for regional and district hospitals; and in 2028 (117th year), all medical institutions, including health centers and clinics, will be included in the scope of electronic medical record interoperability. The strategy is to first familiarize hospitals with the entire framework before planning relevant legislation. Experts have suggested incorporating the FHIR standard into medical evaluations, and its feasibility will be considered in the next hospital evaluation reform.
Li Jian-zhang pointed out that FHIR is like the WWW of the electronic medical record world. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources has the advantage of high data interoperability, which can solve the dilemma of lacking a unified data exchange standard and is a globally adopted new generation international standard for medical data exchange.
However, most medical institutions in Taiwan still use old formats, and there are even more than 30 different medical record systems, Li Jian-zhang said. This leads to all health data being in "silos." Even in today's information-rich era, when two medical centers in Taiwan exchange patient data, it still cannot be transmitted via computer; they must burn CDs or print paper copies. Only through the FHIR standard and related digital infrastructure can this deadlock be broken.
Li Jian-zhang stated that as medical information moves from closed systems towards cross-hospital and cross-system interoperability and integration, in the future, when people seek medical treatment at different medical institutions, relevant health data can be instantly connected with authorization, eliminating the need to repeatedly carry paper medical records or undergo unnecessary duplicate examinations. Doctors can also more quickly grasp patient history, medication records, etc., improving diagnostic efficiency and quality. (Edited by Chen Ching-fang) 1150413
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.