Abstract

In the medical informatics domain, interoperability is a crucial driving force for improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare. The "Connectathon" mechanism has been implemented internationally for many years. Since 2020, the Taiwan Medical Imaging and Information Standards Association (MISAT) has organized the "Medical Informatics Taiwan (MI-TW) Connectathon," building on this globally recognized testing system and adapting it to local needs. This event incorporates international standards such as HL7® FHIR®, DICOM, and IHE, using a comprehensive "Standards-Implementation-Testing-Validation" process to actively develop Taiwan’s healthcare information standardization ecosystem, while establishing an industry-wide validation and testing platform. From 2020 to 2024, a cumulative number of 102 organizations have participated, including hospitals, medical device manufacturers, healthcare IT companies, telecommunications providers, electronics firms, and research institutions. In 2024, the Connectathon expanded to 14 tracks and validated 16 FHIR Implementation Guides (FHIR IGs). The MI-TW Connectathon has not only accelerated the digital transformation of Taiwan's healthcare system but also provided developers with a transparent and open participation model that speeds up product development, promotes the growth of the healthcare information industry, and fosters a positive cycle of technological feedback and innovation.

Biography

Dr. Chung-Yueh Lien has extensive hands-on experience in the development of medical information systems. His primary research focuses on interoperability standards for medical systems (IHE, HL7, DICOM), and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). He has developed various open-source projects based on FHIR™ and DICOM, including the notable software BlueLight.

Dr. Lien has been a longstanding advocate for national medical information standards and education. He was previously part of the globally renowned DCMTK open-source DICOM team and served as an IHE Connectathon Monitor in Europe. He has also contributed to several government-commissioned projects, including the development of Taiwan's Digital COVID-19 Certificate, the Taiwan Core Implementation Guide (TW Core IG), the National Health Insurance FHIR Prior Authorization Support, and the revision of national DICOM standards. Since 2020, he has played a key role in establishing the Medical Informatics Taiwan (MI-TW) Connectathon, actively advancing Taiwan’s healthcare information standardization ecosystem.