Some thoughts on health and healthcare

Abstract A defensible Belgian pathway to Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs) and Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) based on WHO ICD-11 and WHO ICHI could be built as a three-layer architecture: SNOMED CT for point-of-care clinical semantics, WHO ICD-11 Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (MMS) and WHO International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) for classification of diagnoses and interventions, and a transparent national grouper that consumes standardized episode variables and produces reimbursement classes. That architecture should not assume the existence of an official global SNOMED CT→WHO ICD-11 or SNOMED CT→WHO ICHI reimbursement-grade map. WHO states that the outcome of WHO ICD-11/SNOMED CT mapping collaboration remains under discussion and is not guaranteed, while WHO’s ICD-11 licensing materials also state that mappings and crosswalks are not covered by the base WHO ICD-11 licence and may require separate written agreement. SNOMED International documents official ma...

 Inleiding De gezondheidszorg bevindt zich in een structurele transitie richting datagedreven innovatie. Nieuwe behandelingen worden niet langer uitsluitend ontwikkeld en beoordeeld op basis van klassieke gerandomiseerde klinische studies, maar ook op basis van inzichten uit Real-World Evidence (RWE). Om deze evolutie succesvol te maken, is een robuuste gegevensinfrastructuur nodig, gebaseerd op internationale terminologiestandaarden en een gemeenschappelijk datamodel. Voor België, met zijn universitaire (UZ) en algemene ziekenhuizen (AZ), publieke en academische instellingen, dynamische farma- en biotechsector, vormt dit een unieke kans om een leidende positie in te nemen binnen klinisch onderzoek, innovatie en waardegedreven zorg ( Value Based Healthcare, VBHC) . Hieronder zet ik een paar gedachten uiteen die o.a. het resultaat zijn van gesprekken op het OHDSI Europe Symposium 2025 in Hasselt, waaronder met mijn vroegere collega Bart Vannieuwenhuyse. De strategische meerwaa...

From 22 until 26 May 2023, the first UHasselt Summer School on Big Data for Health and Care was organized by Liesbet M. Peeters and her team of the  Research Group in Biomedical Data Sciences ( Big Data for Health and Care - Summer School ). The Summer School gave some fascinating insights on the potential of big data to revolutionize the way we approach healthcare challenges. The increasing availability of healthcare data will have the potential to gain new insights into disease prevention, diagnosis, crisis management, and treatment. Consequently, the power of big data in healthcare can make a meaningful impact on patient outcomes and how we deal with our healthcare challenges on a national and European scale. Many thanks to Liesbet Peeters and her colleagues for organizing this inspiring and exciting week. Many thanks also to Noëlla Pierlet (ZOL) and Peter De Jaeger (AZ Delta), to name a few, for the inspiring discussions. It was a pleasure to exchange ideas and inspiration w...