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OPZ HCPL — the Open Health Platform (EMR/HIS for long-term care)

Healthcare Poland · ZOL/ZPO Coalition

Care you can see. We open what others lock down.

An open electronic medical records and facility-management system (EMR/HIS) for long-term care — nursing-care institutions (ZOL), care-and-treatment facilities (ZPO), social-welfare homes (DPS) — built on a proven, certified open-source core, localised for Poland and run by a foundation rather than a commercial vendor.

Who this page is for. A description of the project for facilities and partners of the ZOL/ZPO Coalition. We set out transparently: the problem we solve, why we chose this approach, how we deploy and validate it, and how we will develop it.

1. The systemic challenge

Poland’s hospital-IT (HIS) market is concentrated around a few large vendors, and most systems rely on proprietary data formats and limited API access. In practice this means dependency on a single supplier (vendor lock-in): difficult migration, pricing dependency, and no free exchange of data between systems.

At the same time, long-term care facilities face new digital obligations — connecting to the national P1 platform, keeping and exchanging electronic medical records (EDM), reporting medical events — often without tools suited to senior care and on limited budgets.

~1,583long-term care facilities in Poland (2024)
~618ZOL and ZPO facilities within EDM/P1 digitisation
Lock-inthe market’s dominant model — closed data and APIs

2. Why we chose this solution

Why open source (the OpenEMR core)? A mature, internationally certified core (developed since 2001, used in 100+ countries, available in Polish): no licence fees, transparent and auditable code, independence from any single producer, a global community. We adapt and localise what is already proven rather than rebuild from scratch.
Why open APIs and standards (HL7 FHIR, HL7 CDA)? Interoperability is a requirement, not an add-on. A facility’s data can work with P1, NFZ and — in future — the European Health Data Space (EHDS), without supplier dependency.
Why a foundation model (operator: HCPL)? The project is run by the Healthcare Poland Foundation, not a commercial company. A public mission, transparency and independence build trust and protect the platform’s open character.
Why an open-core model (open core + paid services)? An open, licence-free core keeps the system accessible to the smallest facilities; optional services (hosting, integrations, support) fund development. You pay for convenience, not for access to your own data.
Why data sovereignty (hosting in Poland)? Data can stay within the facility or in a national centre (e.g. PCSS) — answering GDPR/NIS2 and the need for full control over patient data.

3. What OPZ HCPL is

An EMR/HIS/CIS for long-term care, built on an open, certified core and adapted to Polish legal, operational and settlement requirements. An “API membrane” architecture: a stable open core plus a service layer above the API boundary. We recommend a hybrid variant — sensitive data (PHI) stays at the facility, while the management layer can run in a national centre via the API.

Resident records

Charts, medications and administration record (MAR), vital signs, notes, individual care plan.

Clinical scales

Ready-made forms: Barthel, Norton, Tinetti, MNA, MMSE.

Workflow and security

Calendar and flow board, roles and permissions, audit trail, encryption.

Family portal and reporting

Transparency for relatives and reports for settlement and statutory reporting.

4. Our method — deployment and validation

We work in small, verifiable steps with explicit success criteria. We do not ask for blind trust — we offer a pilot the facility evaluates itself.

  1. Sign-up and meeting (60 min) — we learn the needs and demonstrate the system live.
  2. Scoping workshop — we define scope, data, roles and success metrics (under NDA).
  3. Pilot, 6–8 weeks (no licence cost) — a test in the real environment, with no licence commitment.
  4. Go/No-Go decision — the facility decides based on results.

How we validate: Living Lab Healthcare (clinical-environment testing); a security audit with the CyberC4HE Coalition (NIS2/GDPR); a PoC integrating Medical Events with P1 (FHIR); open code, documentation and a pilot report for the facility.

5. Goals and expected outcomes

For the facility

P1/EDM compliance, well-ordered documentation, lower lock-in risk, a lower barrier to digital entry.

For patients and families

Continuity and transparency of care, better communication, data security.

For the system

Real interoperability, an open standard instead of silos, digital inclusion of the LTC sector.

For the payer

Better data quality for settlement and outcome assessment, more efficient spending.

6. Compliance, security and interoperability

P1 / CeZ

Integration with Medical Events, e-prescription and e-referral, and EDM exchange — via adapters.

Standards

HL7 FHIR and HL7 CDA, compliance profiles, foundations for the Patient Summary / IPS.

EHDS-ready

A bridge to the European Health Data Space via HeliX EU.

Security (GDPR/NIS2)

Encryption, permissions, audit, risk assessment, support with the CyberC4HE Coalition.

7. How we will develop it

  1. Core localisation and pilots — adaptation to LTC, a PoC integrating Medical Events (P1).
  2. Managed edition — hosting in Poland, maintenance and support (SLA), settlement integrations.
  3. Enterprise edition — modules, analytics, decision-support tools, P1/NFZ integrations.
  4. Bridge to EHDS and a facility network — cross-border exchange via HeliX EU; an open standard and a network of facilities.

8. Ecosystem and partners

Operator: Healthcare Poland Foundation (HCPL), together with the Polish Hospital Federation (PFSz) and the National Chamber of Care Homes (KiDO). Deployment and validation are supported by CM-KLARA (integrator), PCSS (hosting), the CyberC4HE Coalition (cybersecurity), HeliX EU (EHDS) and the open-source community.

9. Who it is for and possible funding

Audience: ZOL, ZPO, DPS and private senior and long-term care providers. Co-financing paths worth exploring: the National Recovery Plan (KPO), FENG, regional programmes (RPO), local-government funds and NFZ programmes supporting EDM and P1 integration. We agree the source individually.

Enrol your facility in the pilot

The pilot is licence-free and non-binding. You decide after the test.

Contact: pilotaze@healthcarepoland.pl · global@healthcarepoland.pl · phone +48 787 000 827

Note and transparency. OPZ HCPL uses open-source software under the GPL licence, with attribution preserved. This page is informational; the detailed scope of features, integrations and timeline is agreed individually. Market figures are as of 2024.