{"id":2008,"date":"2016-07-08T01:07:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T01:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orionhealth-blog.local\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2024-08-13T02:41:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T02:41:24","slug":"setting-the-world-on-fhir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orionhealth.com\/global\/blog\/setting-the-world-on-fhir\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting the World on FHIR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In mid-June, <\/strong>HIMSS issued a press release<\/strong><\/a> announcing the renewal of a \u201ccooperation agreement to advance the goal of interoperability of health information\u201d between two long-standing initiatives: Health Level Seven International (HL7) and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The press release described how \u201cthe joint statement of understanding provides for improved communication and coordination of schedules and projects to help expedite the development and adoption of the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is it about FHIR that\u2019s inspiring HL7 and IHE to explicitly ratify their commitment to realising and implementing the standard as soon as humanly possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can think of three important items: implementer focus, ease of use, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a quick look at each and consider how they contribute to FHIR\u2019s main value proposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Implementer focus<\/strong> 

    FHIR is laser-focused<\/em> on the implementer. It aims to support current, real-world use, i.e., what its implementer\u2019s systems are currently doing<\/em>, rather than what FHIR\u2019s developers think they should be doing<\/em>.

    For example, with FHIR, a property is added to the core contents of a resource only if it\u2019s supported by the majority of existing systems (sometimes called \u201c    the 80 percent rule<\/a>\u201d), while any additional properties are then implemented using extensions. Because of the standard\u2019s ability to safely extend resources to meet specific use cases through the extension-discovery and profiling mechanisms, FHIR keeps the resource\u2019s size and complexity to a minimum, making it easier for an implementer to understand and use it. 

    Additionally, by holding     events like Connectathons<\/a>\u2014where implementers test the developing standard and provide feedback\u2014and by providing open-source libraries and internet-available test servers, FHIR\u2019s developers make a pointed commitment to involving both new and veteran implementers in its development. 
    <\/li>
  2. Ease of use<\/strong>

    For a new implementer looking to become proficient with healthcare standards, healthcare interoperability is a complicated concept with a steep learning curve, since much of the language and tooling it uses is specific to the healthcare domain.

    However, FHIR leverages standards and tooling that are used outside<\/em> of the healthcare domain, which means that new FHIR implementers can build on existing skills instead of needing to develop entirely new, healthcare-specific skills. Because of this, it\u2019s not uncommon for new implementers to be productive within days<\/em> of using FHIR, rather than weeks or months. 

    Additionally, by providing a simple and discoverable extensibility mechanism plus core resources, implementers can start small, yet have the confidence that FHIR will accommodate their needs as they grow.
    <\/li>
  3. Community

    <\/strong>Since its inception, FHIR has been developed by a community that leverages instant messaging, list servers, blogs, and the open nature of the internet itself to make the standard freely available to anyone who wishes to view or contribute to it. This community enthusiastically welcomes comments by providing links on every page, and these comments are managed within an openly available source control system.

    This open-community spirit has prompted other standards-developing organisations to add their expertise to FHIR\u2019s development, including     openEHR<\/a>, CIMI<\/a>, and the SMART project<\/a>. This in turn has inspired further initiatives such as the Argonaut Project, a vendor-sponsored initiative that aims to bring \u201copen standards<\/a> to the arcane world of healthcare interoperability,\u201d assist in the development of FHIR, and facilitate its alignment with CCDA and security protocols like OAuth2 and OpenID Connect. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    I believe these three main items make the value proposition of FHIR very clear. It\u2019s: <\/p>\n\n\n\n