In Saudi Arabia, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is increasingly being used to exchange healthcare data. Currently, the most active FHIR version in use is R4, with a reported usage rating of 5 out of a possible 6. Survey respondents anticipate a continued growth in the adoption of FHIR in the coming years, highlighting a positive outlook for FHIR's role in improving healthcare interoperability.
Rules and Support
Saudi Arabia has established several regulations and supports to facilitate the adoption of FHIR standards:
- Health Data Exchange Rules and FHIR Requirements
- There is mandatory regulation in place that requires the use of standards in electronic health data exchange, specifically mentioning FHIR.
- FHIR is mandated by the regulation.
- Deadlines and Compliance
- A compliance deadline exists, and fines are imposed for non-compliance.
- Funding
- There are no government funds currently available to stimulate the adoption of FHIR.
- Regulation Details
- Council Of Health Insurance Regulation
National Setup
- Standards Organization
- Saudi Health Council (shc.gov.sa)
- Implementation Guides and Terminology Services
- No base/core FHIR implementation guide for Saudi Arabia is currently available.
- A national FHIR terminology server's availability is unknown.
- Other developed FHIR standards are mentioned for specific use cases like eClaims.
Active Use Cases
Local implementations and international standards use in Saudi Arabia include:
- The entire eClaims system now uses standardized coding and messages through the Saudi Financial Services IG.
- Medication prescription and e-appointments are also notable FHIR use cases.
Who's Using FHIR
Organizations actively using FHIR in Saudi Arabia span across several sectors:
- Care providers
- Payers/Insurers
- EHR system vendors
- Diagnostic system vendors, like Imaging/Lab
- The main reasons for FHIR adoption include regulation and grants, improving business workflows, and enhancing healthcare outcomes.
Success Stories and Challenges
- Benefits
- Lowered cost
- Improved healthcare outcomes
- Enhanced access to information
- Better care workflows and timeliness of care
- Real Examples
- The Saudi Financial Services IG for eClaims
- Main Difficulties
- Lack of FHIR knowledge
- Changes in political direction
- Future Plans
- Clinical exchange and International Patient Summary (IPS)
- Lab order and lab result integration with IHE
Future Plans
- Progress So Far
- The adoption of FHIR has made "far more progress than expected" in the last year.
- Next Steps
- Establishment of a national standards organization and development of a national FHIR data model are underway.
- Expected Changes
- Significant cost savings, enhanced care coordination, and a robust digital health ecosystem are anticipated benefits within the next three years.
Contributors
- Permission was granted by one respondent to use their name when presenting the outcomes of this survey: Paul Knapp, President at Knapp Consulting Inc.
The above summary is based on the answers to the State of FHIR Survey 2025, organized by Firely and HL7 International.