BfArM

Data interoperability is a crucial element for the success of a digitalization strategy. Achieving data interoperability requires clear semantic and syntactic rules. Therefore, digitalization in healthcare should be accompanied by a semantic strategy to outline a foundation of agreed reference coding systems and valuesets for specific domains and segments of the electronic health record. The electronic healthcare system in Germany is evolving. With legal agreement for a European Health Data Space in 2025 also a harmonization in Europe will be pursued. The BfArM as the National Competence Center for medical terminologies has issued a position paper, which is currently discussed with stakeholders. The paper proposes a gradual convergence of standardized documentation in healthcare towards a binding set of basic coding systems and valuesets. Requirements should be identified and semantic reference sources agreed by the domain expert community. A consented semantic framework will support users and software providers in their decision-making and aims to reduce the diversity of individual solutions. A long-term strategy will give decision-makers certainty in their planning and will support a gradual alignment of electronic data towards a mandatory set of basic coding systems. A central asset in this strategy is a central terminology server for the healthcare domain. It will act as a single “source of truth” and reliable platform for semantic references. A central platform will serve as “on-stop-shop” for automatic technical distribution and consumption and also as reliable long-time versioning archive during the live-cycle of electronic healthcare record items.