Partners in Interoperability Clinician’s Breakout

March 21, 2017

Facilitators: Stan Huff and Russ Leftwich

Proposed agenda:

  1. Introductions
  2. Brief presentation on FHIR and interoperability
  3. Open, interactive discussion
  4. Plans for one hour session on day 2

Russ illustrated an example of how FHIR may help improve interoperability in healthcare by citing an example in the airline industry. When we go to our favorite travel website and seek options for flying from A to B, we may see a list of many options from different airline carriers. The information presented is due to the airline industry agreeing on what data to share and how to share it. Likewise in healthcare, FHIR may help define what information is to be shared and how it is to be shared.

Stan provided insight on why he is so passionate about interoperability. Providing higher quality care actually costs less, as it avoids complications and improves outcomes. We must do a better job at providing better health care to patients. We must provide clinicians with more effective tools and support to provide better care.

Stan provided an educational presentation on the challenges and hurdles to achieving semantic interoperability.

Stan reviewed a slide with a dozen possible topics of interest to discuss today.

  • Use of the FHIR brigade
  • Use of FHIR registries
  • Argonauts
  • CIMI
  • HSPC
  • HSPC developers conference
  • FHIR Foundation
  • FHIR connectathons
  • FHIR Applications Roundtable
  • Clinicians on FHIR
  • CIIC
  • Devices on FHIR
  • Center for Medical Interoperability

One question asked was that at last year’s Partner’s meeting it was discussed that we may develop a network of matching problems and solutions. Stan mentioned that the Healthcare Services Platform Consortium (HSPC) has one effort that serves that purpose.

Devices on FHIR: Todd Cooper is the leader. This activity is to use FHIR profiles to leverage the data collected by devices.

March 22, 2017

What is needed?

Environmental landscape of organizations and roles

  • HL7’s booth at HIMSS has the presentations that are valuable. However, you may need to open many of the PDFs to determine insight on how the pieces all fit together in our landscape.
  • There is a need to better understand and visualize the landscape to get a handle on the organizations in this space and their respective roles.
  • Paula volunteered to prepare a draft of the landscape and Stan will review it.

There is a need for FAQs on:

  • How do you start using FHIR
  • How do you start preparing a profile
  • How does an organization get started with FHIR

A roadmap is needed for HL7’s product lines

  • Should organizations migrate their V2.X interfaces to FHIR resources?
  • There is likely not a ROI to retrofit FHIR to V2.X interfaces that are working well
  • What are the principles to use when making a decision?
  • Registry of “approved” FHIR profiles
  • What role for the different organizations? HL7? FHIR.org? etc.?

Stan’s summary:

  1. Roadmap providing an understanding of relationships, environmental landscape (e.g., HL7, FHIR.org, Argonauts, HSPC, CIMI, CommonWell, Sequoia, LOINC, SNOMED, Furore, HAPI, etc.)
  2. Paula will draft this while working with Stan and Russ
  3. Tutorial on how to get started with FHIR
  4. How would I introduce it to my organization
  5. Steps for learning FHIR and for using FHIR
  6. One option would be to leverage work already provided by Mark Braunstein
  7. HL7 roadmap
  8. What are the guidelines for using V2.X versus FHIR
  9. What is HL7’s strategy for supporting V2.X, V3, C-CDA, FHIR
  10. Registry of “approved” FHIR profiles