The International Patient Summary (IPS) has evolved into a global digital health initiative, helping countries exchange essential health information across national, regional, and organizational boundaries. This new podcast explores what the IPS is, why it was developed, and how it is being used today, with global experts sharing the insights and experiences shaping this increasingly vital suite of digital health standards.
Episode 01: Show Notes
The International Patient Summary (IPS) has evolved into a global digital health initiative, helping countries exchange essential health information across national, regional, and organizational boundaries. This new podcast explores what the IPS is, why it was developed, and how it is being used today, with global experts sharing the insights and experiences shaping this increasingly vital suite of digital health standards.
In this inaugural episode, co-hosts Michael Nusbaum and Robert Stegwee welcome guest Herko Coomans of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Herko is an active member of the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP), Vice Chair of the General Assembly of SNOMED International, and a leading ambassador for the IPS.
Together, they discuss the origins of the IPS, lessons learned from emergency pandemic responses, and the role of mini-connectathons in building government trust. They also explore the collaboration between Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) and governments, real-world implementations like the Hajj pilgrimage use case and Brazil’s national roll-out, and the emerging concept of treating international standards as a "global public good.”
Key Points From This Episode
• [00:00] Introducing the International Patient Summary and our hosts.
• [03:13] Herko Coomans and his role in global digital health.
• [04:56] How COVID-19 accelerated interest in the IPS.
• [07:47] The Japan meeting: IPS as a set of interdependent standards.
• [09:59] Identifying the role of governments in standards governance.
• [13:25] Patient-mediated exchange and how it built confidence in the IPS.
• [14:57] How the GDHP and the JIC are building a government-SDO relationship.
• [19:57] Saudi Arabia’s successful IPS pilgrimage use case and lessons learned.
• [22:26] The IPS as a “global public good" and the future of governance.
• [27:29] Ensuring the standard remains available in the next 30 years
• [29:48] Next chapter for government and SDO collaboration.
• [33:19] Global momentum: the European Health Data Space and Brazil.
• [38:43] Takeaways and a preview of the next episode.
Quotes
“And this is what I love most about the IPS is that you have shown the world that there is such a thing as a true global standard that has a cross-border international global use case that touches as many use cases as we can and is managed in an integrated way.” — [09:31]
“So you see that we now have a very mature discussion on not just ‘Is this tool the right thing to use?’ Because we've passed that station. But now it’s, ‘How do we make this tool the most valuable one that we can have based on the actual experience we have with using that tool on the ground?’ And I think at the global level, this is truly amazing.” — [21:58]
“But I think that the example that I like most is what I heard in Brazil. They're building a national health system with a lot of information, but they are explicitly using the IPS to give everyone, every citizen, its over 300 million citizens, their own IPS. And they're using it as a — and I love this framing — it's democratizing health data.” — [35:37]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode
Michael Nusbaum — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhnusbaum/
Robert Stegwee — https://www.linkedin.com/in/stegwee/
Herko Coomans — https://www.linkedin.com/in/herko/
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Netherlands) — https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-health-welfare-and-sport
Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) — https://gdhp.health/
International Patient Summary — https://international-patient-summary.net/
Joint Initiative Council (JIC) — http://www.jointinitiativecouncil.org/
SNOMED International — https://www.snomed.org