25 Mar Bulk FHIR and the Next Phase of Data Exchange in Healthcare

By Mark Coetzer, VP of Business Development at IMAT Solutions

Bulk FHIR is emerging as a critical capability for population-level data exchange, enabling healthcare organizations to move large datasets more efficiently. While Bulk Data Export has focused on pulling data, new concepts like Bulk Submit introduce a standardized way to push data across systems. As discussed at HIMSS 2026, these advancements signal progress in interoperability, but also reinforce the need for data normalization, validation, and governance. Organizations that can operationalize Bulk FHIR effectively will be better positioned to support population health, quality reporting, and care gap closure.

A New Chapter in FHIR-Based Interoperability
At HIMSS 2026, one of the more practical conversations around interoperability focused on scale. FHIR has already established itself as the standard for modern healthcare data exchange. But as adoption grows, so does the need to move beyond individual transactions and support population-level data movement. This is where Bulk FHIR is gaining attention.

Health systems are increasingly exploring Bulk Data Export capabilities to extract large datasets for analytics, reporting, and population health initiatives. Instead of querying one patient at a time, organizations can retrieve entire populations in a structured format, creating new opportunities for insight and action. But exporting data is only part of the equation.

From Bulk Export to Bulk Submit
The next evolution of Bulk FHIR introduces the concept of Bulk Submit. While Bulk Data Export allows systems to pull large volumes of data, Bulk Submit flips the model. In this approach, a client assembles a dataset and pushes it into another system for ingestion. This shift may seem subtle, but it opens important new use cases.

Payers and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) can send enriched datasets directly to provider systems to support population health and care gap closure. Quality reporting workflows can move beyond individual submissions and deliver complete Measure Report datasets in a single transaction. Registries and public health agencies can receive periodic bulk submissions rather than fragmented data feeds.

The underlying concept is straightforward. Bulk Export is server driven, while Bulk Submit is client driven. Together, they create a more flexible and scalable framework for data exchange.

Why Scale Changes the Conversation
As organizations begin working with Bulk FHIR, the conversation quickly shifts from connectivity to usability.
Moving large datasets across systems introduces new challenges. Data must be consistent across sources. Patient identities must be resolved accurately. Clinical information must be structured in a way that supports downstream use cases such as quality reporting or analytics.

Without this foundation, bulk data exchange can amplify existing issues. Incomplete or inconsistent data at scale does not just create noise. It creates risk. Quality measures may be inaccurate. Care gaps may be missed. Reporting outputs may not align with regulatory expectations.

This is why the discussion around Bulk FHIR at HIMSS was not only about standards. It was about readiness.

Bulk FHIR and the Reality of Care Gap Closure
One of the most important use cases for Bulk FHIR is closing care gaps. Healthcare organizations need a complete and timely view of the patient to identify gaps in preventive care, chronic disease management, and quality performance. Bulk data exchange has the potential to support this by bringing together clinical and claims data across systems.

But the value of that data depends on its quality. If datasets are fragmented, duplicated, or missing key elements, organizations may still rely on manual processes to validate information before acting on it. This slows down workflows and limits the ability to intervene in real time.

Bulk FHIR can accelerate care gap identification, and it does not eliminate the need for data normalization and validation.

Turning Data Movement into Data Utility
The broader takeaway from HIMSS 2026 is clear. Healthcare is making real progress in how data moves. The next challenge is ensuring that data can be used effectively once it arrives.

This requires more than interoperability standards. It requires a data foundation that can aggregate, normalize, and validate information across sources.

Platforms like IMAT Intelligence are designed with this reality in mind. By ingesting data from multiple formats, including FHIR, CCDA, and claims, and aligning it into a consistent structure, organizations can create a single, trusted view of the patient. This enables Bulk FHIR data to move beyond raw exchange and support meaningful outcomes.

Looking Ahead
Bulk FHIR, including emerging capabilities like Bulk Submit, represents an important step forward in healthcare interoperability.

It provides a scalable framework for exchanging population-level data and supports a growing range of use cases, from quality reporting to public health and care coordination. However, as with previous phases of interoperability, technology alone will not solve the problem.
Organizations must focus on how data is prepared, validated, and applied. Those that invest in building a strong data foundation will be best positioned to take advantage of Bulk FHIR and the next generation of digital healthcare.

The ability to move data is no longer enough, as success will ultimately depend on the ability to trust and use that data effectively.

Contact IMAT Solutions to learn how IMAT Intelligence can help you move from data exchange to data impact.

About the Author
Mark Coetzer is VP of Business Development at IMAT Solutions, with more than 30 years of technology experience and a decade dedicated to healthcare. He brings deep expertise in clinical data integration, interoperability, and population health, and is passionate about helping organizations build trusted data foundations for better care and smarter outcomes.

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