Enabling the digital transformation of healthcare: A Joint Initiative Council white paper

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Brussels, 7 JULY 2020. The Joint Initiative Council for Global Health Informatics Standardization (JIC) has published a white paper explaining how its nine health informatics standards development organizations (SDOs) have been working together to help transform the global healthcare system into one that’s digital with the goal of precise and real-time exchange of information based on full interoperability enabled by global standards.

Transcending national boundaries and organizations, the Joint Initiative Council’s SDOs work collaboratively to provide global, coordinated—not competitive—standards that address real-world healthcare issues. In its recently released white paper, the JIC explores the desired future of a digital health ecosystem where high-quality data is available to the right people, at the right place and at the right time for high-quality decisions and care.

Established in 2007 and consisting of nine SDOs, including CDISC, CEN, DICOM, GS1, HL7, IHE, ISO, LOINC and SNOMED International, the Joint Initiative Council has come together to deliver coordinated standards and implementation guides. Today, healthcare researchers, manufacturers and providers can use these JIC outcomes for the successful implementation of digital processes and interoperable systems.

 “At JIC, we recognize the importance of consistency across standards and the need to collaborate on their development. We’re concerned not only about standards as ‘outputs,’ but more importantly, how standards impact healthcare ‘outcomes’—their practical value in the delivery of high-quality care,” said Ulrike Kreysa, senior vice-president, GS1 Healthcare and chair of the JIC.

Within the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the need for accelerating the speed and capacity of this digital transformation has become more important than ever before. JIC members are contributing to this public health need by addressing immediate gaps and by providing topical enhancements to their existing standards.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) looks forward to the continued cooperation of global Standard Development Organisations within the Joint Initiative Council in order to better leverage on common health data standards and interoperability to anticipate and react to pandemic challenges such as the one we are experiencing, and to the future ones to come in our fast and ever-changing environment.”,  said Bernardo Mariano Junior, Director, Digital Health & Innovation and Chief Information Officer, World Health Organization.

Highlights from the JIC white paper include four standards-based initiatives that offer practical solutions to real-world problems. These initiatives include the International Patient Summary (IPS), the Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP), COVID-19 and Genomics. The white paper is available as a downloadable PDF at www.jointinitiativecouncil.org.

For more information, visit the JIC Web page: www.jointinitiativecouncil.org or follow us on Twitter @JICouncil.

About the Joint Initiative Council - The Joint Initiative Council for Global Health Informatics Standardisation (JIC) is formed to further the important role of health informatics standards to enable interoperability of information and processes across health domains. Health informatics standardisation is supported by a community of experts that works within and across various health informatics standards development organisations (SDOs). The JIC supports the timely, efficient delivery of safe, coordinated, accountable, high-quality health services to individuals, communities and populations. www.jointinitiativecouncil.org