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Norway's National Insurance Administration (NIA) upgraded the EDI-based communications infrastructure it used to connect to its business partners with a new architecture based on open standards, including the ebXML Messaging OASIS Standard, ISO 15000-2. NIA's ebXML Message service was built using the Xenos terminalONE end-to-end, transaction gateway solution. To date, NIA's system is in production with four applications, and has transported several million ebXML messages corresponding to transactions totaling more than 10 billion Norwegian Kroner (equivalent to 1.2 billion EURO, or 1.5 billion USD).

This case study was authored by Pim van der Eijk on behalf of OASIS with cooperation from the NIA. Funding was provided by Xenos, a Sponsor member of OASIS.

UK National Heath Service (NPflT) Uses ebXML Messaging
The UK's National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) is the world's largest civil IT project. A central component of the NHS Care Records Service is the Transactional Messaging Service (TMS) Spine using the ebXML Messaging Service OASIS Standard. It is likely to become one of the largest applications of this technical specification.'

[20 December, 2004]
Study: Computer Records Bring Better Care

[13 December 2004]
CECID Hermes Won Merit Award at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2004. Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR, Peoples Republic of China, is pleased to announce that our open source ebXML business-to-business (B2B) Messaging Server, Hermes, has won the Merit Award of the R&D category at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APTICA) 2004. This Award is presented to the most outstanding ICT R&D project, with its ICT creation arising from the practical application of scientific, engineering, or management knowledge that results in new and improved products, processes, or services that fill market needs.

[15 November, 2004]
On November 15, the Office of the National Coordinator Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks public comment regarding how widespread interoperability of health information technologies and health information exchange can be achieved through a National Health Information Network (NHIN). As the nation embarks on the widespread deployment of EHRs, a variety of concomitant challenges and barriers must be addressed. One of these is interoperability, or the ability to exchange patient health information among disparate clinicians and other authorized entities in real time and under stringent security, privacy and other protections. Through the RFI, ONCHIT seeks information regarding options to deploy, operate and sustain health information exchange. There are many perspectives that can be brought to bear on this important topic. Health information technology organizations, healthcare providers, industry associations and other stakeholders all have important insights that will inform future deliberation. In the interest of having the most compelling, complete, and thorough responses possible, we encourage interested parties to collaborate and submit unified responses to this RFI wherever possible. Comments from the public at large are also invited. The public comment period is 60 days and expires on January 18, 2005. The RFI is available through ONCHIT's website here.

[8 November, 2004]
Execs Support E-Health Records
A majority of health-care executives believe electronic health-records systems will have a positive long-term financial impact on their organizations, despite costs and other barriers to adoption, according to a Capgemini report. The survey, conducted last month, of 84 executives from hospitals, health insurers, physician groups, and health-care business-technology vendors shows that 70% expect that E-health records will provide financial and clinical value to their organizations. "Health care is a financially strapped industry. Organizations are looking for new ways to streamline their operations," says Lewis Redd, national leader of Capgemini's health practice. "Now technology is front and center in the health-care arena to bring about change."

[8 November, 2004]
Universal Business Language (UBL) Ratified As OASIS Standard
The OASIS international standards consortium today announced that its members have approved the Universal Business Language (UBL) version 1.0 as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. Developed through an open process, UBL defines a common XML library of business documents, such as purchase orders and invoices, as well as reusable data components from which an unlimited number of other documents can be constructed. UBL is the first standard implementation of the ebXML Core Components Technical Specification.

[2 November, 2004]
Reorganizing State Health Agencies To Meet Changing Needs State Restructuring Efforts In 2003 [NGA.org]

[13 October, 2004]
FDA Clears Verichip for Medical Applications in the United States
The VeriChip Health Information Microtransponder System consists of an implantable RFID microtransponder, an inserter, a proprietary hand-held scanner, and secure database containing the patient approved healthcare information. Each VeriChip contains a unique 16-digit verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the insertion site. The captured 16 digit number links to the database via encrypted Internet access. The previously stored information is then conveyed via the internet to the registered requesting healthcare provider.

[6 October, 2004]
OASIS Adoption Meeting, Brussels, EPR and XDS for e-Healthcare Presentations available.

[6 October, 2004]
Health Level Seven and The Object Management Group (OMG) recently announced a strategic collaboration to develop software standards in the healthcare industry. (PDF) HL7 and OMG will work together on electronic healthcare standards, including electronic drug prescribing, and patient record interoperability infrastructure.

[23 August 2004]
Health Level Seven Releases Updated Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) Specification. Health Level Seven has published a revised "HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA)" specification which defines an XML-based document markup standard for encoding the structure and semantics of clinical documents. By leveraging the use of XML, the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM), and coded vocabularies, CDA makes clinical documents machine-readable (easily parsed and processed electronically) and human-readable for use by healthcare professionals.

[28 July 2004] HL7
Electronic Health Record System Approved as Draft Standard for Trial Use (DSTU)

[27 July 2004] Australian IT
Health sector adopts protocol

[27 July 2004] Medical Banking Project
CNBC Finds New Medical Banking Opportunity

[21 July 2004] U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Announces Standard Format That Drug Sponsors Can Use to Submit Human Drug Clinical Trial Data

[21 July 2004] eWeek
Secretary Thompson's report: "Decade of healthcare IT" (PDF)

[21 July 2004] eWeek
Thompson Heralds 'Decade of Health IT'

[21 July 2004] Computerworld
Groups promote e-records for doctors

[27 Apr 2004]
Health Level Seven, Inc. (HL7) HL7 Releases Two Version 3 Transport Specifications as Draft Standards for Trial Use (DSTUs): Web Services and ebXML