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About FHIR

What is FHIR?​

The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, developed by Health Level Seven International (HL7) (https://hl7.org/), defines a common language for exchanging healthcare information electronically. This means different healthcare systems, regardless of the vendor or technology used, can understand and communicate patient data securely.

Benefits of FHIR:​

  • Improved Interoperability: FHIR facilitates seamless data exchange between disparate healthcare systems, breaking down information silos. This allows for a more unified view of a patient's health record, improving care coordination and reducing the risk of errors.
  • Enhanced Patient Care: With complete and readily available data, healthcare providers can make more informed clinical decisions, leading to better patient outcomes.
  • Flexibility and Scalability: FHIR's modular design makes it adaptable to various healthcare settings and workflows. New functionalities can be easily integrated as healthcare needs evolve.
  • Increased Security: FHIR leverages secure internet protocols to ensure patient data privacy and compliance with regulations like HIPAA.

How Does FHIR Work?​

Resources: FHIR utilizes the concept of resources, which act as the fundamental building blocks for exchanging healthcare data. Each resource represents a specific entity, such as a medication order, a lab report, or a patient allergy. Resources are standardized with a defined structure and content, ensuring consistent data representation across systems.

RESTful APIs: FHIR relies on Representational State Transfer (REST), a widely used web technology, for data exchange. RESTful APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) define the methods for accessing and manipulating resources, enabling smooth communication between healthcare systems.

Overall, FHIR is a powerful tool that fosters a more connected healthcare ecosystem, ultimately benefiting patients by promoting better-coordinated and data-driven care.

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