Glossary, records and interoperability
What is HL7 FHIR?
HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a standard from HL7 International for exchanging health data between systems as small, defined resources such as Patient, Condition and Observation. It uses ordinary web technology, so one system can read or write another's records through an API.
Updated . Defined by the wai team for clinics, groups and health systems.
Also called FHIR or Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.
Why HL7 FHIR matters to a clinic
FHIR builds every exchange from resources, defined blocks of data such as a patient, a condition or an observation, each with a common structure and common metadata.1 That shared shape is what lets two systems that were never designed together read each other's records.
For a clinic, FHIR matters when it needs data to move between its own software and a hospital, an insurer or a national record. The useful question to ask any vendor is which resources it reads or writes, against which system, and whether that connection is live today.
Questions
Is FHIR the same as HL7?
HL7 International is the standards body. FHIR is one of its standards, alongside the older HL7 Version 2 messages that many hospital systems still run.
Do I need FHIR as a private clinic?
Only where your data has to move automatically to or from another system. Many clinics share by signed letter and record export, and add a FHIR connection when a partner asks for one.
Sources
See wai on your own clinic.
A 15 minute video call on your own diary, notes and inbox. Prices for clinics, groups and hospitals are on the pricing page.