Implementing FHIR International Standards for NGS Data Intake, Advancing Precision Medicine
健保NGS 資料收載機制銜接FHIR 國際標準精準醫療新里程 - CIO Taiwan
Summary
The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is advancing the standardization and digitization of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data to promote precision cancer medicine. Consequently, it plans to fully implement the FHIR international standard starting October 2025, aiming for cross-institutional data linkage and realizing a 'Healthy Taiwan.'
Details
The NHIA is building an intake mechanism for NGS data based on the government goal of promoting precision medicine in cancer treatment. To solve the issues with genetic test reports previously managed as PDFs or unstructured text, they plan to fully implement the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) international standard starting October 2025. This initiative is not merely a change in data format; it aims to integrate and share all information—from diagnosis to treatment and outcome tracking—for cancer patients through cloud systems. The NHIA has already promoted electronic medical record (FHIR) applications, with 81 hospitals participating as of April 2026. FHIR format is particularly utilized for pre-approval drug screening for liver cancer and colorectal cancer. For the expanded NGS data scope, multiple healthcare institutions and testing facilities are sharing standardized upload processes, enabling more accurate diagnosis and prescription issuance. This effort is expected to establish digital transformation of medical data and true cross-institutional information interoperability in Taiwan.
Original content copyright by respective publishers