Payers understand the need for interoperability and standardization in exchanging and managing healthcare data. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is a recommended standard for exchanging healthcare information and represents a significant leap in interoperability. FHIR-standardized data makes it possible for providers to access and share information from different sources, improving patient outcomes. In this blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into how your organization can benefit from FHIR standardization.
With FHIR, healthcare stakeholders can exchange data seamlessly, regardless of the vendor systems involved. FHIR is vendor-agnostic, and healthcare organizations can implement FHIR easily without having to incur additional costs. Use of the FHIR framework is free – there are no licensing costs.
By simplifying implementation, healthcare organizations can focus on providing quality healthcare services rather than worrying about the complexities of data interoperability.
FHIR also improves data integrity. As a standard, FHIR ensures that all data is transmitted and stored consistently, making data exchange seamless and reducing data inconsistency issues that may arise from interoperability complexities.
FHIR uses standardized data formats and interfaces, making it easy for healthcare organizations to integrate with different systems. FHIR can integrate with the server-side of patient-facing applications, making it easy for patients to have access to their healthcare data on a mobile device, a patient portal, or any other device. FHIR also integrates with front-end applications, enabling healthcare providers to share data and communicate with applications regardless of vendor systems.
How does FHIR accomplish this? Think about how different devices work with a browser. No matter what the device or the browser – smart phone, tablet, desktop on Google, Firefox, or Safari – when you open a browser and type in a URL, you will be brought to the same website. The device or the browser doesn’t matter, the underlying structure of the internet drives you to the same point. That same logic is used in FHIR.
With FHIR, no matter what type of EHR system is participating, patients can receive one set of data. This facilitation of interoperability is what is crucial for allowing the seamless exchange of electronic health information.
Patients can easily access their own health information and then share that information with other Providers. They are empowered to manage their data flow within the system. Everyone in the process is more informed, which leads to better patient care overall as errors are reduced.
Security and privacy are critical concerns with healthcare data exchange. With FHIR, healthcare providers can securely and safely exchange healthcare data. FHIR has a set of security action blocks that are standardized, making data exchange secure and private. Healthcare organizations can be assured that data is only accessed by authorized personnel and is safe from unauthorized access or breaches.
FHIR is cloud-supported, which means it can be used to store healthcare data in a cloud infrastructure. This infrastructure provides a scalable and secure system for healthcare organizations. With FHIR cloud support, healthcare organizations can store large amounts of data, supporting real-time communication across healthcare systems, which improves patient care.
Interoperability complexities can lead to data errors, which can negatively impact patient outcomes. With FHIR, standardized data formats and interfaces make data exchange seamless and reduce the chances of data errors. As a result, cost savings are realized in less person hours to accomplish data transfer. Workflows are more efficient, producing quality information at the right time and place. Staff have more time to focus on patient care.
FHIR standardization is a significant leap towards achieving interoperability in the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers can benefit from FHIR implementation by simplifying implementation, improving data integrity, easy integration, improved security, cloud support, and reducing errors.
Not only the U.S. government, but many countries around the world are electing to make FHIR a designated adoption goal in the Healthcare community. Although this adoption is not required in the U.S. as of yet, the implementation of FHIR to facilitate data exchange is highly recommended. It may soon become a requirement, which means that organizations should begin planning for it now instead of scrambling to catch up later.
Those organizations who have already implemented FHIR are realizing the benefits of improved interoperability, better patient outcomes, streamlined healthcare processes, and reduced healthcare costs. To remain competitive in the industry, it only makes sense to tackle the challenge sooner than later.
SphereGen is a UiPath Partner and Microsoft Partner with expertise in implementing successful applications in Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Distribution. We offer custom software services in Application Modernization/Support, Robotic Process Automation and Extended Reality. Learn more about our work at https://www.spheregen.com
