FHIR DEMO 2022
Finland on FHIR
FHIR DEMO 2022 showcases over a dozen apps integrated with over a dozen platforms with HL7 FHIR® technology.
FHIR is ready, FHIR is fast
The HL7 FHIR® (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a standard describing data formats and elements and an application programming interface for exchanging electronic health records. It is an open specification and based on widely used web development technologies.
One of the key promises of FHIR is that Electronic Health Record systems become platforms and their functionality can be extended with third party apps.
This demo case proves that this promise is true. The FHIR specification is mature enough for app developers to develop apps that can be started from and exchange information with any system, with very little or no modifications.
Especially in the case of SMART app launch, we should not talk of integration, rather just configuration.
FHIR DEMO 2022 Project
The FHIR DEMO 2022 project is organized by HL7 Finland. The aim is to integrate many apps with many systems and to gain real world experience on the maturity of the FHIR standard.
The project supports many kinds of integrations. The project focuses on the HL7 SMART App Launch mechanism, through which third party apps can be launched from an electronic health record system with a click of a button. Literally. The launch mechanism transfers the information on which practitioner wants to see which patient's data. There's no need to sign in to a separate system and also no need to search for the relevan patient in another system.
In addition to SMART launch, many projects also exchange data in FHIR format.
Ways of working
Working together in a single project helps system vendors and care providers, as they are able to instruct many app developers together and configure many apps at once, instead of talking to each developer separately.
In the project, also app developers work together, supporting each other, sharing best practices and even source code.
No money changes hands between parties and contracts are kept to minimum. All participants cover their own costs.
Demos
The next showcase is organized in HIMSS Europe event, June 14 - 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
Participants show their integrations on their stands. There will probably also be a guided tour to lead you to relevant booths. Let us know if you're interested in participating and we'll send you an invite!
Participants
There are currently a dozen systems and more than a dozen apps involved in the project.
| Systems | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Apotti | Cerner | Epic | Esko | InterSystems | Kanta | KotiDigi | Lifecare | Omatietovaranto | OMNI360 | Terveyskylä | Vitec Acute |
| Axel Health | x | |||||||||||
| BCB Medical | x | |||||||||||
| Duodecim | ? | |||||||||||
| InterSystems | x | x | ||||||||||
| MealLogger | x | x | x | x | ||||||||
| Omaolo | x | |||||||||||
| Physiotools | x | |||||||||||
| Physitrack | x | |||||||||||
| ProWellness | x | |||||||||||
| Sensotrend | x | x | x | x | ? | ? | x | x | x | x | ||
| Solita | x | |||||||||||
| Una | x | x | ||||||||||
| Wellmo | ? | x | ? | |||||||||
- ?
- Integration is still in progress
- x
- Integration is finished!
Nordic IPA
HL7 Finland also organizes a Kick Off Meeting for Nordic IPA Work on Friday after the HIMSS Europe conference.
IPA stands for international Patient Access and is a HL7 specification harmonizing the access of health apps to health data through APIs. The object of the IPA Implementation Guide is to define base set of FHIR profiles specifically intended to be used as-is or built on top of by countries looking to enable patient access and patient facing apps accessing data using FHIR. This guide could be used as a foundational building block for national or regional FHIR base or patient access specifications or for multi-national applications and FHIR servers.
One foreseen regional base profile using the IPA specification would be a Nordic profile of the IPA. The healthcare environments in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) are similar to each other, and there are good opportunities to harmonize both app accreditation model and the content format for the data to be shared.
However, the regional context is not yet set in stone. For instance, Apple has indicated that they would enable importing health data into Apple Health in Europe, if the Nordic countries as well as the Netherlands can agree on a harmonized content format and a common app accreditation model. So Dutch representatives are also more than welcome to participate in this work.
The kick-off event for the work is organized in Helsinki just after the HIMSS Europe conference, on Friday, June 17, at 13.00 to 16.00. The location is Health Innovation Village, Kuortaneenkatu 2. A walking distance from the HIMSS conference venue.
Please sing up for the event by sending an email expressing your interest to participate to sonja@sensotrend.com.