In an HL7 international survey of FHIR improvement uncovers the important thing drivers and chronic challenges influencing international adoption, in addition to probably the most distinguished use circumstances.
In 2025, HL7 Worldwide and Firely partnered for the third yr in a row to conduct a worldwide on-line survey geared toward gaining deeper insights into the present state and development of FHIR adoption. Finally, 82 responses have been collected from 52 distinct nations.
In an Oct. 16 webinar, Diego Kaminker, HL7’s deputy chief requirements implementation officer, reviewed the findings. He famous that the use circumstances talked about by probably the most respondents embody prescriptions/pharmacy (39), terminology (34), diagnostic orders/studies (29), doc change (28), referrals/continuity of care (28) and immunizations (26).
“The shock right here is that diagnostic orders and studies seems earlier than doc change and referrals and affected person entry,” Kaminker stated. “One can suppose that many of the nations are giving sufferers entry to their very own information, and we predict that many of the initiatives around the globe change diagnostic orders and studies utilizing v2 or one thing like that. However that is altering lastly. I assumed it might be altering 10 years in the past or 5 years in the past, however lastly we’re seeing diagnostic orders and studies because the third use case that’s shifting ahead.”
Among the many 63 respondents who stated they have been conscious of profitable FHIR use circumstances of their nation, 56 cited the principle achievement being improved entry to info.
Different single mentions have been as follows:
1. Improved high quality of knowledge, use of terminology
2. Get High quality Knowledge for Evaluation and Secondary use
3. Analysis
4. Sooner integration with care supplier methods
5. Collaboration
6. Improved timeliness of care
7. Improved public well being reporting
Among the many 82 respondents, the three teams most frequently cited as adopting FHIR have been EHR distributors (60), care suppliers (42) and app builders (37). Per 2024 and 2023, EHR distributors stay probably the most usually cited group.
In a multiple-choice query, the survey requested respondents to call the principle drivers for FHIR adoption of their nation. Respondents most frequently talked about Innovation (52) and Regulation and grants (52). Among the many respondents who stated there may be regulation in place of their nation, the bulk (47 of 64, or 73%) stated FHIR is both mandated or is being suggested of their nation’s most essential regulation that prescribes the usage of requirements in digital well being information change.
In 2025, 39 of 82 respondents stated there are not any authorities funds out there of their respective nations to stimulate the adoption of FHIR, a barely larger proportion than in 2024 (15 of 38). HL7 stated this implies the prevalence of presidency funds out there for FHIR adoption could also be lowering, or the respondents are usually not conscious of the funds.
Requested to call the largest challenges for FHIR adoption of their nation, lack of FHIR data was cited by the vast majority of respondents (59 of 82) as the largest problem for FHIR adoption, which is in line with earlier findings. Different challenges have been talked about by virtually an equal variety of respondents: Unclear advantages (35), Modifications in political path (34), Excessive funding value (33) and unclear rules (33).
Specializing in developments within the U.S. market, Kaminker stated that HL7 is engaged on one other FHIR accelerator known as Gizmo that includes medical system interoperability. “We’ll concentrate on creating change for any system. It’s a broad definition. It could possibly be one thing within the hospital, one thing within the lab — any system will likely be lined by this accelerator,” he stated. “We are also beginning to consider a brand new accelerator on high quality measures for subsequent yr.”
The FHIR accelerator program seeks to hurry the event and availability of FHIR to ship higher information that results in higher well being outcomes. Different accelerators embody the Argonaut Mission, Carin Alliance, Codex, Da Vinci, the Gravity Mission, Helios and Vulcan.
Kaminker additionally introduced up the imaginative and prescient of the CMS interoperability pledge to speed up open standard-based information change and create what they name CMS-aligned networks to place sufferers and suppliers first. The aim is to offer sufferers entry to all digital and medical info by way of functions of your alternative. He famous that a number of well being information networks have agreed to do that, as have 11 well being methods and suppliers protecting hundreds of thousands of sufferers, seven EHR distributors, and 30 patient-facing app firms. A core requirement is that each one networks should decide to assist and implement FHIR APIs, and the compliance deadline is July 4, 2026. “Attention-grabbing occasions in the event that they do all of it,” he stated. “It’s a pledge.”
