The industry has been abuzz with talk of FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) recently. It’s a subject that’s near and dear to me since it’s a real attempt at advancing the quality of patient care while reducing the cost associated with integration.
What is FHIR? If this is your first time hearing about FHIR, I suggest you peruse the first entry in my recent blog series – entitled: What is ‘FHIR’ and Why Should You Care? – to learn about the origins of the standard.
FHIR is simple. Watch how blogger Jayant Singh converts HL7 v2.x to FHIR using IGUANA in my second post called Burning v2 with FHIR in Mumbai.
FHIR vs CDA. Need more proof on its simplicity? When compared to CDA/CCD, FHIR is very modular and it’s extremely easy to build small adapters to cover just what you need. That’s exactly why I think FHIR will burn the CDA.
FHIR is RESTful. I’m excited that FHIR is helping make the paradigm of RESTful API-based integration a mainstream concept. RESTful APIs are simpler to implement and this translates into faster development time and lower overall integration costs. Coincidentally, these are also core benefits of IGUANA. Learn how IGUANA + FHIR = Profit.
On another note, I’m going to be at Apps for Health and Education 2013 on May 16 in Hamilton, Ontario. If you’re going to the event, it would be great to schedule a meeting with you.
Until next time: Happy Integrations!
Eliot
