SwissHDS and DigiSanté: Why heyPatient Has Been Committed to Connected Healthcare for Years

Matthias Spuehler
3 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

The digital transformation of Switzerland's healthcare system is not the responsibility of a single organisation. It is a shared effort that requires collaboration, open standards and a consistent focus on the needs of patients.

This is why we are pleased to contribute to the Swiss Health Data Space (SwissHDS) Initiative within the DigiSanté programme and to work alongside numerous partners on the foundations of a connected healthcare ecosystem in Switzerland.

For us, this engagement is much more than participation in a current initiative. It is the continuation of a vision that has guided heyPatient since the very beginning.

Many of the topics currently at the centre of SwissHDS and DigiSanté have shaped our platform strategy for years: interoperability, standardised data models, open interfaces and the secure exchange of healthcare information across organisational boundaries.

Because truly patient-centred healthcare can only succeed when information is available where it is needed, regardless of the systems involved or the organisations providing care.

This is why we adopted international standards such as HL7 FHIR at an early stage. Not because standards are an end in themselves, but because they create the foundation for healthcare information that is structured, understandable and reusable across the healthcare ecosystem.

When Switzerland decided to establish HL7 FHIR as a key foundation for its future digital healthcare infrastructure, it confirmed a direction that heyPatient had already been pursuing from day one.

Investing in the Future of Healthcare

The vision behind DigiSanté and SwissHDS closely aligns with strategic decisions we made years ago.

These include:

A platform architecture built consistently around HL7 FHIR
A dedicated FHIR data repository provided as a standard component of our platform
Open and standardised interfaces for data exchange
Flexible integration capabilities for existing clinical systems
Scalable architectures for hospitals, clinics, healthcare regions and care networks
Patient-centred digital processes that work across organisational boundaries

Today, our platform already enables the structured exchange of relevant healthcare information between different systems and stakeholders. At the same time, we continue to build the technical foundations required for future national initiatives and healthcare data spaces.

While many of the foundations currently being discussed are only now emerging at a national level, key components of an interoperable, FHIR-based healthcare platform are already in productive use at heyPatient.

A Patient Portal That Connects

At heyPatient, we have never viewed ourselves as a standalone application. We see ourselves as a connecting platform within the healthcare ecosystem.

Patients do not interact with a single organisation. They move between general practitioners, hospitals, specialist clinics, therapists, insurers and many other stakeholders.

For this reason, our platform was designed to connect existing systems rather than create new silos.

This philosophy closely reflects the underlying objectives of SwissHDS and DigiSanté: ensuring that information is available where it is needed, securely, consistently and independently of organisational boundaries.

Turning Technology into Value

Interoperability is not the goal. FHIR, reference architectures and data standards are important foundations, but their true value only emerges when they create tangible benefits for people.

When patients can navigate healthcare more easily.
When healthcare professionals spend less time on administration.
When organisations can collaborate more efficiently.
And when innovation reaches care delivery more quickly.

This practical value has always been the focus of our platform development.

Achieving More Together

The diversity of organisations participating in SwissHDS clearly demonstrates that the future of healthcare will not be built in silos.

Hospitals, software providers, integration partners, insurers and many other stakeholders are working together to establish the foundations for the next generation of digital healthcare.

We believe that this collaboration is essential. Innovation happens when different perspectives come together and shared solutions are developed.

We look forward to contributing our experience, learning from others and helping shape the future of healthcare in Switzerland.

For the People of Switzerland

Ultimately, this is not about technology, interfaces or standards. It is about making healthcare simpler.

For patients who want to focus on their health.
For healthcare professionals who should be able to spend more time with people and less time on administration.
And for organisations that need to work together more effectively.

This is what has driven us from the beginning.

And this is why we are committed to continuing our contribution to a more connected healthcare system in Switzerland.

Because many of the priorities that are now being advanced through DigiSanté and SwissHDS have been part of everyday practice at heyPatient for years.