The European Health Data Space is coming, and the clock is ticking for the Member States and Commission to finalise the technical specifications for the transfer of health data across and within borders: in March 2027 the Commission has to publish the implementing acts defining the European Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF), and then provide regular updates. To align the EEHRxF with open international standards and global harmonisation efforts, European governments will need the help of Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) like HL7.

HL7 Europe, the European arm of the global SDO Health Level Seven International, has been advancing the work on European Implementation Guides (IGs) for the global HL7 FHIR standard. At the last HL7 meeting in May 2025 in Madrid, HL7 Europe introduced the “EHDS FHIR IG ecosystem” with those IGs that are directly relevant for the EHDS’ priority categories of health data (patient summaries, e-prescriptions, e-dispensations, medical images/reports, laboratory results, and discharge reports). And at the end of May, HL7 Europe opened the review period for four of these IGs, and invited all stakeholders to make their voices heard.

In this webinar, HL7 Europe speakers will discuss the HL7 Europe Imaging S tudy Report FHIR Implementation Guide (one of the four IGs in open for review) and how it relates to other relevant imaging standards (including Dicom, IHE profiles and others). We will also introduce HL7’s collaborative platforms like Jira and Confluence, and walk through specifically HL7 Europe’s mechanisms for participation and contribution for all stakeholders. And we will discuss why and how HL7 Europe’s IGs matter for the European Health Data Space.

We’re inviting specifically newcomers and a non-technical audience to join. Topics will include:

• The EHDS policy context
  Line Andreassen Sæle, HL7 Norway
• The EHDS FHIR IG ecosystem
  Giorgio Cangioli, HL7 Europe
• HL7 Europe Imaging Study Report FHIR IG
  Bas van den Heuvel, Philips
• Our collaborative platforms and how to contribute
  Giorgio Cangioli, HL7 Europe

See also the presentation slides here.

The webinar was facilitated by Michael Strübin from HL7 Europe.

The European Health Data Space Regulation went into force last month and over the coming years will require national European healthcare systems to increasingly process and transfer health data according to common specifications, to enable interoperability across and within Member States. Developing these specifications will require a significant effort and collaboration of the Commission and Member States with Standards developing organisations, working with healthcare organisations, industry, stakeholders and technical experts. Among the EHDS regulation’s six priority categories of health data will be data from laboratory systems, which enable diagnostic decisions and help healthcare professionals and patients manage chronic conditions.

In our HL7 Europe “Labs-on-FHIR” webinar series, we looked this month at the experience of Spain. With its 18 regional healthcare systems, the experience of Spain in connecting diverse healthcare systems may offer some instructive lessons for the rest of Europe. With more than 90 percent of its citizens having access to their patient summaries, Spain is among the more digitally advanced EU Member States. Spain also played a significant role in shaping the EHDS regulation to ensure its provisions are realistic and manageable for providers and manufacturers during its Presidency of the EU Council.

Featured speaker was Dr. Alexander Zlotnik from the Directorate of Digital Health and Information Systems in the Spanish Ministry of Health. He shared an overview of the Spanish healthcare system, discussed the history and status of laboratory systems’ interoperability within Spain and with Europe, and reflected on the EHDS regulation’s development and implementation. As usual, there was a panel of experts, and plenty of time for audience Q&A.

Panellists included:

• Catherine Chronaki, HL7 Europe
• Alexander Henket, NICTIZ (NL)
• Nikos Kyriakoulakos, HL7 Hellas

See also the presentation slides here.

The webinar was facilitated by Michael Strübin from HL7 Europe.

The HL7 International Working Group Meeting (WGM) & HL7 FHIR Connectathon is coming up on 10-16 May 2025. This time, it will take place in Madrid, Spain, an opportunity for European participants to be part of this exciting meeting close to home. While the WGM (including countless sessions on standards and education, and of course the Connectathon) will be global in scope, there will be activities that are driven and lead by HL7 Europe, and may be of special interest to participants in Europe.

Come and join us for this webinar to get an overview of the Madrid WGM activities that focus on Europe. Speakers include:

• Giorgio Cangioli, HL7 Europe and co-leader of the EHDS Connectathon track
• Kai Heitmann, HL7 Europe, co-leader of the national EHDS implementation session
• Roberta Gazzarata, HL7 Europe, co-leader of the European cancer data model session
• Stefano Dalmiani, Hospitals-on-FHIR session-leader

See also the presentation slides here.

The webinar will be facilitated by Michael Strübin, HL7 Europe Communications Advisor.

The European Health Data Space has just been signed and will become effective in two years. It will advance the adoption of international standards to advance healthcare interoperability, to improve healthcare for European citizens and to aggregate data for research and innovation. Data from laboratory systems deliver the basis for diagnostic decisions, help patients manage chronic conditions, and make our healthcare systems more effective and efficient, if it can be delivered where and when it is needed. That’s why interoperability is needed.

In our HL7 Europe “Labs-on-FHIR” webinar series, we were looking at the experience in Sweden on their journey to implement FHIR in laboratory systems, navigating legacy systems and stakeholder engagement, and working in a complex political environment. This follows webinars in 2024 with focus on Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany (all slides and recordings can be found at www.hl7.tv).

Featured speaker was Daniel Karlsson from the Swedish eHealth Agency E-hälsomyndigheten which coordinates the government's e-health initiatives, and Gunnar Nordin from Equalis, a Swedish company that assesses the quality of lab results and manages the NPU terminology system for Swedish laboratories. There will be a panel of experts, and plenty of time for audience Q&A.

Panellists included:

• Sylvia Thun, Charité Hospital Berlin and chair of HL7 Germany
• Jean-Michel Polfliet, eHealth Platform Belgium
• Giorgio Cangioli, HL7 Europe

See also the presentation slides here.

The webinar was facilitated by Michael Strübin, HL7 Europe Communications Advisor.