I am currently working on a national health data project and exploring the best ways to integrate FHIR-based systems within the OpenHIE architecture. I understand that OpenHIE supports FHIR in various workflows.., but I am still a bit unclear on how to align it efficiently with existing registries like the Client Registry and Shared Health Record.
Has anyone here successfully implemented FHIR messaging within the OpenHIE framework: ?? Specifically.., I am looking to understand:
Best practices for using FHIR resources in OpenHIE workflows
How interoperability is maintained across systems using different standards
Recommendations for testing FHIR endpoints within an OpenHIE sandbox environment
Hi Marcelo. I think your question points in the right direction so I follow:
OpenHIE defines, for the different components like Client Registry, the different workflows, and for those workflows the interactions, and in each of those, the interoperability options. Here’s an example Create Patient Demographic Record Workflow | OpenHIE Architecture Specification - the Register Patient interaction can use FHIR by using the IHE PIXm ITI-104 transaction. Other components would use different FHIR resources or non-FHIR interfaces. but the process is the same - for each interaction, the technical specification should be documented. Specific systems should be conformant with OpenHIE but they may further constrain or specify the OpenHIE specification.
For the “ensure we are following a scalable and standards-compliant approach from the start” - IMO, depends on who is “we”. software vendor? government organization? other? for doing what?
As for testing, we are looking at testing tools and processes, and hopefully we’ll share more soon.
The product is a DPG which supports the management of these kinds of workflows (including a FHIR Adaptor to support data transformations into the right format for what you need.
Please feel free to sign up for a free account and try it out, or book a demo session through the site if you want a couple of hours of free consulting to get you up and running.
We often work in tandem with OpenHIM (essentially providing Mediators for sending/extracting data to/from an OpenHIM data store). The product provides a handy UI, now powered by Natural Language, to setup automated workflows between data systems, and keep on top of them when data mappings change.
Feel free to reach me on jack@openfn.org if helpful, or through our community.
Hi @marcelosalas2009 ,
At Jembi we have managed to incorporate FHIR messaging using OpenHIM platform. You can checkout the more details about platform components and how we have achieved this here https://openhim-platform.org/
Sounds like you have a good project / idea you are working through. It is quite a loaded question that you have: “how does OpenHIE use FHIR” and the responses you have so far I hope by giving you some insight to answering this.
As mentioned the OpenHIE architecture supports the use of IHE profiles for Client Registry workflows and these are also FHIR based too. So there are guides to how to harmonize and leverage FHIR for Patient/Client administration.
As for the SHR there have been many different approaches over the years where we started with CDA to where I believe most people are landing today with storing sending data in FHIR and (often storing it in FHIR too);
When looking at the workflows you can look to use FHIR as the content and structure messaging here for sending and querying data.
I do wonder what particular question / use case you are trying to address?
I will encourage you to ensure that you are clear on the data you are intending to exchange and if you are using FHIR for this to have the implementation guide and coding clear from the start.
We don’t have a boilerplate FHIR IG for OpenHIE that has been used yet that I can recall.
I’d be happy to help walk through a few things with you if any of this is of help.
As mentioned in this thread there are a few tools that help in exchanging and orchestrating data between systems as well as exposing end points for data query/push.
So my question to you is:
Where do you want to start? shout if you would like to jump on a call to chat.