FHIR – a new standard for healthcare data exchange developed by HL7. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources creates a standard for sharing and exchanging clinical records between professionals or organizations with the help of various software which results in cost-efficient care. Here are the proven 7 reason that shows you why FHIR is better and why it matters in today’s healthcare data exchange.

Why FHIR is better? 

The growing technology has drastically changed the way the healthcare industry works. FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is one of the great attempts by HL7 to digitalize the health records. This standard platform allows the exchange of healthcare data such as medical records, treatment summaries, bill payments, test results, and more via electronically. 

Guess what? The number of smartphone users in the U.S alone is about 275.66 million in 2020. Yes, day by day the usage of mobile technology is increasing greatly. So now, FHIR and APIs are the future of interoperability. 

When discussing the healthcare industry, the healthcare information exchange is one of the important things to be considered with the topmost priority. Because every healthcare providers or patients or clinics wish to access the medical records whenever they want in an easy and stress-free manner. And this is now possible with FHIR. 

1. FHIR Means Improved Care Co-ordination

Care coordination is all about having a patient-centric approach that consistently meets the needs of patients and their caregivers. Now, what’s the connection between care co-ordination and FHIR? Accessibility is one of the great benefits of FHIR.

It allows the electronic medical records of all patients to be accessed by multiple users which include physicians, payers, and patients too. It is a great platform that has enabled easy access to medical data and seamless communication between various stakeholders. This has improved the care coordination for the patients.

RELATED: FHIR: A NEW PATH TOWARDS HEALTHCARE INTEROPERABILITY

2. FHIR Means Easy Data Sharing

With FHIR, every resource is linked with a unique identifier. Quite similar to be like the URLs help to look out for specific web pages, no matter which web browser or device you have been using, FHIR makes it feasible and easy to get access to the right set of data from any device or an application. Just by assigning standard URLs for different packets of data, FHIR eliminates and cuts down the long process of exchanging data back and forth between systems.

RELATED: THE MYSTERY BEHIND FHIR IN HEALTHCARE DATA SHARING

3. FHIR Specifications Are Free To Use With No Restrictions

This is the major reason that shows you why FHIR is better because the specifications are free to use without any restrictions. The documentation process has also gotten a lot better with FHIR. Until 2013, the FHIR specifications are not freely available and this may be one of the reasons for the healthcare industry lags on interoperability. But once HL7 standards are readily available for free, FHIR terms to be the key to improved healthcare interoperability. 

4. FHIR – A Mobile-Friendly Platform.

Nowadays, mobile users are increasing tremendously than desktop users. FHIR is such a platform that can be easily set up and accessed by mobile phones. Most of the mobile devices support programs with HTTP and JSON. And this has increased the invention of more healthcare-related applications and telemedicine software. FHIR has a strong foundation in web standards which includes XML, JSON, HTTP, Atom, OAuth, etc.

5. FHIR Supports RESTful Architecture:

FHIR supports RESTful architecture and also with seamless information exchange using messages or documents. With the help of FHIR’s built-in REST API, you can manipulate healthcare data easier than ever. You can use functions like POST, DELETE, GET, and PUT to create, read, or otherwise manage resources. 

For example, you can use “PUT https://www.example.com/path-to-your-resource/resource-type/resource-id” to update a resource when the data changes or needs to get changed. The FHIR tools save enormous time by making online data sharing easier. 

6. FHIR Means Fast & Easy Implementation

Time plays a major role in the healthcare industry for delivering effective patient care. So, FHIR serves as the best standard for healthcare information exchange easier and that too on time. The easy to use interface of FHIR is considered to be a great advantage for the users. With the help of the best integration engine, this can be done even faster.

RELATED: CHALLENGES IN FHIR IMPLEMENTATION – AN EYE OPENING GUIDE

7. FHIR Means Cost-Effective Solutions

FHIR is quite adaptive and easy to use when compared to other complex standards. With FHIR, the health data can be transmitted easily and the results can also be analyzed more effectively. This will automatically reduce the overall healthcare cost.

Since FHIR makes use of various well-known web technologies such as REST, the skills required to develop an application with FHIR is a very basic thing like it is directly transferable from anyone working in website or web app development. So the process of building a team will be much easier and it won’t cost more.

 Ready to take advantage of FHIR? 

CapMinds HL7 FHIR Integration – The right choice for your practice.

FHIR is the best standard for healthcare data exchange that helps developers and professionals to create user-friendly applications in a faster and safer manner. If you wish to implement FHIR to improve your clinical workflow, CapMinds offers the best FHIR implementation and support services for your practice.