By Jason S. Lee, PhD and Members of The Open Group Healthcare Forum On February 19, 2021, The Open Group published its best practice Guide

By Jason S. Lee, PhD and Members of The Open Group Healthcare Forum On February 19, 2021, The Open Group published its best practice Guide
The transition to Digital First has become a necessity for the survival of private and public sector organizations in a post-pandemic world. It was therefore fantastic to see attendees gather virtually over the course of three days to discuss tangible solutions for navigating the challenges we face today. Sessions and workshops were hosted by a plethora of leading industry experts and centered on the development and implementation of open digital standards to address issues critical to the success of a Digital First enterprise.
By Steve Nunn, President and CEO, The Open Group
Happy New Year everyone!
Firstly, I hope that you, your family, and friends, have been able to stay safe during these trying times. So many around the world have lost so much in this COVID-19 pandemic which clearly will be with us for some time yet. We must, however, be heartened by the unprecedented speed with which vaccines have been developed. The delivery and administration of these vaccines has only just begun, of course, but we have good reason to be optimistic about the coming months.
This document takes an evolutionary approach to align with and build upon existing or upcoming frameworks, standards, and best-practices, such as the TOGAF® standard, Archimate® Modeling Language, or ISO 9001 for healthcare. All application-related screenshots in this article are based on a prototype, modelled in Enterprise Architect.
On August 15, 2020, India’s 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi launched the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM). The NDHM is a comprehensive digital platform that brings together multiple and diverse groups of stakeholders enabled by shared interfaces, reusable building blocks, canonical datasets, and open-standards, with a strong foundation of architecture. In a sector that is riddled with administrative and regulatory complexities, coupled with the scale and scope of operations in India, the NDHM aims to revolutionize the healthcare sector. As the largest democracy in the world, that follows a federated structure of governance the NDHM is unequivocally targeted at improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of the population, reducing the cost of providing healthcare, and enhancing the effectiveness of healthcare providers.
In this article, I would like to discuss the critical importance of connected healthcare systems during an epidemic or a pandemic. Everyone benefits from connected healthcare systems; people, families, districts, states, nations. Leadership from all levels of healthcare authorities is essential, from hospital workers to governments, to global organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).