#23 Panel Discussion: How Do Data Standards Solve Health Data Challenges?

Live from the Health Data in Motion conference, a panel of leading experts explored one critical question: Can data standards actually fix the mess in healthcare data? Moderated by Priit Kruus, the discussion featured Grahame Grieve (FHIR), Kerli Linna (TEHIK), Hanna Pohjonen (openEHR), and Sulev Reisberg (University of Tartu). From HL7 v3 and CDA to FHIR, openEHR, and OMOP, the conversation went far beyond formats. Panelists tackled the limitations of Estonia’s document-based system and the pressure to move toward event-based, API-driven architectures. They questioned whether Estonia’s centralized approach is a powerful asset—or a growing bottleneck. AI readiness was a hot topic: can we really train useful healthcare algorithms with imperfect, siloed data? The discussion also hit on the true cost of transformation—not just in money, but in shifting mindsets across the system. Everyone agreed: the challenge isn’t choosing a standard, it’s agreeing on how and why to use it. Whether you’re a policymaker, developer, or clinician, this episode unpacks the real-world complexity.