Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is a data standard used to exchange clinical information electronically. It was developed by Health Level Seven (HL7) International and it incorporates the most desirable features of HL7 version 2 and HL7 version 3 as well as the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA).
Many stakeholders in the healthcare industry have said positive things about the potential of FHIR. However, it’s important to know the reasons why you should invest in the implementation of an FHIR interface. Here are some of the key benefits your organization will gain if you take this important step.
1. It Uses FHIR Resources and Web Technologies
FHIR offers an alternative to document-centric data standards, like clinical document architecture (CDA), by exposing discreet data elements as resources or services. Each element of healthcare like patients, diagnostic reports and medications can be manipulated through their unique resource URLs. Also, FHIR uses many well-known web-based technologies like HTTP, HTML, CSS, XML, JSON and the RESTful protocol.
2. An FHIR Interface Saves Costs for IT Teams in Healthcare
Since HL7 uses many well-known web-based technologies, the skillset needed to build new applications with FHIR is easy to find among competent web designers and developers. This implies that your pool of candidates is greater, and so it’s easier and cheaper to build a good development team.
3. It Uses the RESTful API
The REST API provides faster and more efficient data sharing, and this results in less time to onboard a partner during data exchange. This API model offers different tools to connect and interact with a data source. For instance, it’s possible to use actions such as PUT, POST, GET and DELETE on various resources.
4. Free Vendor Neutral Specification
Without any need to sign up, subscribe or login, you can get all the specifications for FHIR online. There are no restrictions. In addition to making data sharing easier within the healthcare industry, many of the major EHR vendors have been accepted to participate in an initiative known as the Argonaut project. This has led to the development of different innovative apps that use FHIR. These are all vendor-neutral, and they may be used as add-ons in any EHR.
5. An FHIR Interface Is Mobile-Friendly and Simple to Implement
FHIR is a fairly recent initiative, so it uses many technologies that are fully compatible with mobile devices. These include JSON and HTTP REST, which can be used to develop a large number of mobile apps that will be used by providers, patients, payers and regulators.
FHIR is quick and easy to learn and implement. So, smart developers can create a functional interface within a day or two. This can also be enhanced with the use of a well-designed integration engine.
How Can Your Organization Start Implementing an FHIR Interface?
The FHIR brings a promise of easier and faster interoperability within your organization. It will also boost health data sharing throughout the industry.
To discover how you can build a robust FHIR interface for your organization, call Lifepoint Informatics now at 877.522.8378 for a free consultation or demo.