On December 11, 2023, ONC and the TEFCA Acknowledged Coordinating Entity® (RCETM), The Sequoia Undertaking, launched the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)® Roadmap for TEFCASM Exchange V.2. This model updates the pervious roadmap and continues the momentum already established by offering extra particulars and steerage for the way forward for FHIR in TEFCA.
The plan for the Trusted Alternate Framework Widespread SettlementSM (TEFCA) at all times included Well being Degree 7 (HL7)® FHIR software programing interface (API) change, and now it is coming faster than you’ll have thought!
In January 2022, ONC and the TEFCA RCE collectively launched the FHIR Roadmap for TEFCA Exchange (Roadmap) together with the Common Agreement and the QHIN Technical Framework (QTF) Version 1. The Roadmap indicated that TEFCA change will rapidly develop the capability to allow FHIR API change to maintain tempo with the evolving nature of expertise and the well being IT business’s want to maneuver towards standardized APIs. Primarily based on ONC’s experiences and suggestions obtained over the previous 12 months, the FHIR Roadmap has been up to date.
Within the short-term, ONC and the TEFCA RCE anticipate “facilitated FHIR” change starting to be carried out as a part of TEFCA change as early as the primary quarter of calendar 12 months 2024 related to the discharge of Widespread Settlement Model 2. As in Model 1, Model 2 of the Roadmap describes facilitated FHIR change wherein Certified Well being Info Networks (QHINs)TM present the community infrastructure to assist FHIR API-based change between TEFCA Contributors and Subparticipants from totally different QHINs. Particularly, if a TEFCA Participant or Subparticipant desires to acquire a affected person’s knowledge utilizing FHIR, they are going to go to their QHINs to find out who has the affected person data. Affected person discovery will happen by means of the QHIN-to-QHIN interplay, together with discovery of the FHIR endpoints for people who have the affected person knowledge. The initiating Participant or Subparticipant will then instantly (i.e., with out going by means of the QHIN) and securely question every of these endpoints.
To make sure constant implementation of facilitated FHIR change in TEFCA, the RCE labored onerous to develop and check the TEFCA Facilitated FHIR Implementation Information (TEFCA FHIR IG) that will likely be mirrored in QTF Model 2. The implementation information helps each business-to-business and consumer-facing particular person entry workflows and depends on the standards-based HL7 Security for Scalable Registration, Authentication, and Authorization FHIR Implementation Guide Version 1.0.
The TEFCA RCE printed Draft 2 of the TEFCA FHIR IG in December 2022 and examined it in three connectathons, organized by HL7 and IHE Worldwide.
The discharge of QTF Model 2 will accompany publication of Widespread Settlement Model 2, which collectively will lay the coverage and technical frameworks for implementing facilitated FHIR in TEFCA change. ONC and the TEFCA RCE anticipate publishing these paperwork within the first quarter of calendar 12 months 2024, at which period implementation of facilitated FHIR will start.
Wanting ahead, the up to date Roadmap describes two extra phases of FHIR implementation past facilitated FHIR change. The subsequent part, QHIN-to-QHIN FHIR Alternate, allow QHINs to leverage FHIR-based change for change between QHINs whereas persevering with to assist non-FHIR approaches throughout the QHINs’ inside networks.
The final part, Finish-to-Finish change, would allow a Participant/Subparticipant to seamlessly change FHIR knowledge between themselves and different community members by means of the QHINs and a number of different intermediaries each inside a QHINs’ community and thru the TEFCA-governed community.
ONC and the TEFCA RCE commend the hassle put forth by the TEFCA and FHIR neighborhood. There’s nice optimism about realizing the way forward for knowledge change for the nation in 2024 and past!
