A committee consisting of reps from DoHAC, CSIRO, ADHA, MSIA and HL7 has convened to oversee the development of the first national FHIR standards.
An independent committee has been established to oversee the development and implementation of FHIR standards, with FHIR founder Grahame Grieve appointed committee chair.
According to Pulse IT, the Australian FHIR Coordination Committee was designed to maintain transparency and integrity throughout the development of FHIR standards, in accordance with the recently drafted Australian FHIR management framework outlining governance arrangements for FHIR standards development.
Former HISA chair David Rowlands was appointed deputy chair of the committee, with other members including representatives from Oracle Health, MSIA, DoHAC, the ADHA and CSIRO, as well as members from HL7 Australia’s FHIR work group and technical services group.
All representatives would operate independently from their respective organisations while on the committee, Mr Grieve told Pulse IT.
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“We are transparent, we keep good records, and everybody knows that even if they don’t like the outcomes, they were heard, and that no underhanded stuff going on,” Pulse IT quoted him as saying.
“If the government is going to make this kind of investment in the community, then they have a legitimate concern – as does the rest of the community – in how does that trust and integrity get built in.
“The drive for me, which comes out of my experience in international standards, is having an independent watchdog with a nominated watchdog role.”
Funding for the coordination committee and FHIR management framework arose out of the 2023-24 budget, with money allocated by the federal government for the CSIRO to work with the states and territories, the Australian Digital Health Agency and software vendors to develop and adopt national standards, HL7 Australia board chair Isobel Frean told Pulse IT.
