Fujitsu launches new cloud-based platform for healthcare sector in Japan, promoting personalized healthcare and drug development

TOKYO, Mar 28, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – Fujitsu today announced the launch of a new cloud-based platform that allows users to securely collect and leverage health-related data to promote digital transformation in the medical field. The new offering represents part of Fujitsu’s ongoing efforts to contribute to the creation of a healthy society as part of its vision for “Healthy Living” under Fujitsu Uvance to create a sustainable world. Fujitsu will offer the new platform to medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies in Japan starting March 28, 2023.

The new platform enables the automatic conversion of medical data from medical institutions’ electronic medical records to conform with the next generation standards framework HL7 FHIR (1) and secure aggregation of health-related data. Based on their consent, patients can securely store personal health information such as vital data, step counts, and calorie consumption – converted into non-personally identifiable information on the platform – this in turn supports medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies in performing data analysis and R&D activities to accelerate the development of individualized healthcare and the discovery of new drugs.

Fujitsu will use the platform as a launching point for further planning to develop a data portability (2) service that enables patients to view their medical data on their smartphones, as well as a service for medical institutions to conduct highly accurate analysis of shared medical data on the platform.

Moving forward, Fujitsu aims to leverage this platform to realize an AI and IoT based preventive healthcare system, and cooperate with various medical institutions and companies to realize a digital health ecosystem that creates new value for society.

Features of the new platform

1. Automatic conversion of medical data into HL7 FHIR, the next-generation medical information standard
– Data from medical institutions’ electronic medical record systems can be automatically converted to a format in accordance with JP Core (FHIR JP Core Implementation Guide Version 1.1.1) (3), the latest Japanese implementation guideline under the next generation standards framework HL7 FHIR for health information exchange, and then stored on the platform
– Platform enables easy utilization and exchange of data compliant with standards for healthcare information

2. Aggregation of a wide range of health-related data
– In addition to clinical data from electronic medical records, the platform also supports the collection of personal health data including vital data, step counts, and calorie consumption (aggregation of health-check data will be possible in the future)
– Users including medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies will be able to utilize a wide range of data aggregated on the platform for more detailed data analysis in medical practice and clinical research and the development of new drugs

3. Robust security measures to support safe and secure data utilization
– The platform is based on Microsoft’s “Microsoft Azure” and operates in a safe and secure cloud environment, with robust security measures compliant with the “Guidelines for Safety Management of Medical Information Systems” of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and guidelines set forth by Japanese ministries (4)

Possible applications of the new platform

Utilization in medical institutions
– Promotion of individualized health care, including the selection of appropriate drugs and treatment methods based on medical data from multiple medical institutions, vital data of patients, and a detailed understanding of patients’ health conditions (patient journey (5), including patients’ medical history, daily physical condition, allergies, and physical constitution etc.)
– Standardization of data formats to reduce time required to collect, process, and organize data and ultimately increase the efficiency of clinical research and the creation of medical reports

Utilization by well-being companies
– Anonymously processed data from clinical practice as well as laboratory data from patients in clinical trials collected on the platform will enable pharmaceutical companies to conduct more detailed, efficient and faster validation of drugs and medical treatments including side effects, shorten time required for the development of new drugs and increase the success rate of drug development and expand the application of already approved drugs
– Life insurance companies will be able to utilize accumulated health data to automatically generate personalized insurance product plans, improve the quality of proposals and closing rates, and reduce time required to propose and create plans

Future Plans
Moving forward, Fujitsu will leverage this new platform to provide preventive medical care, including AI based early diagnosis of disease risks and visualization of physical and mental health conditions using IoT technologies. Fujitsu further aims to realize a digital health ecosystem by developing services in cooperation with insurance companies to automatically generate personalized insurance plans based on medical data, as well as health-related services in cooperation with wellbeing companies.

Masaaki Mizuno, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Research, Education, and Development for Healthcare Life Design (C-REX), Tokai National Higher Education and Research System & Manager of the Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital & Manager of the Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Nagoya University Hospital, Stroke Care Managing Center, Nagoya University Hospital, comments:
“Wellbeing in the health and medical field is one of the most important goals within Japan’s super-aging society, and for all people world-wide living in the ‘VUCA era.’ We believe that the launch of this new cloud-based platform will enable us to make our vision of a new health and medical society that provides wellbeing to people become reality.”

Kunihiro Ohyama, Director, Japan Healthcare Industry Lead, Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd., comments:
“Microsoft is utilizing cloud services and AI technologies in the healthcare field and promoting the next generation standards framework HL7 FHIR. We are also actively working on data utilization and personalized healthcare. We believe that Fujitsu’s new platform will contribute to the realization of more advanced medical care. Microsoft will support the digital health ecosystem enabled by this platform, and work together with Fujitsu to provide better medical services and improve people’s health.”

(1) HL7 FHIR :
HL7 FHIR stands for HL7 (Health Level Seven) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and is a next-generation standard created by the HL7 organization. Health Level Seven, Inc. is an organization dedicated to developing and promoting standards for healthcare information. Standards for healthcare information are established to provide data interoperability in the medical field. Standards for healthcare information are established to provide data interoperability in the medical field.
(2) Data portability:
A system that allows a person to manage and freely carry information that is individually managed by governments, companies, medical institutions, etc. Reference: “Fujitsu and Sapporo Medical University launch joint project to realize data portability in the healthcare field” (press release, January 16, 2023)
(3) JP Core:
Implementation Guide of the next-generation standard for health information exchange HL7 FHIR in Japan (FHIR JP Core Implementation Guide V 1.1.1). HL7 FHIR stands for HL7 (Health Level Seven) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and is a next-generation standard created by the HL7 organization. Health Level Seven, Inc. is an organization dedicated to developing and promoting standards for healthcare information. Standards for healthcare information are established to provide data interoperability in the medical field.
HL7 FHIR JP Core refers to the Japanese implementation guide “FHIR JP Core Implementation Guide V 1.1.1,” that defines minimum compatibility requirements for accessing patient data in Japan based on the HL7 FHIR standard, which is certified by HL7 Japan (Japanese branch of the HL7 organization) and created by the NeXEHRS Research Group “FHIR Japanese implementation research working group in Japan Association of Medical Informatics (JAMI)”.
(4) Guidelines set forth by Japanese ministries:
This includes the “Guidelines for Safety Management of Medical Information Systems” of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the “Guidelines for Handling of Medical Information by Information Systems Providers” of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
(5) Patient journey:
The process of a patient’s behavior and feelings during a period of treatment, such as a visit to a medical institution or medication, after the patient has developed a disease.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$32 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.

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