This blog post was originally published in 2017. Please also read FHIR®: 3 Real-World Scenarios.
HL7 FHIR has the potential to make needed changes to the way data is communicated across the healthcare spectrum. A major difference between FHIR and other versions of HL7 is that data exchange using FHIR maintains a single source of truth, rather than having multiple versions of the same record propagated through systems via HL7 v2.
This leads to greater flexibility and more timely access to accurate data for clinicians and patients alike. The two workflows below help demonstrate these advantages.
Workflow 1
In this workflow, an HL7 v2 order message is sent to the lab via Corepoint Integration Engine. The lab then returns the order result using HL7 v2. Corepoint Integration Engine then takes the HL7 v2 order result message and stores it into a FHIR repository in the EHR.
Once in the EHR, the result data is available to anyone with the proper credentials. Clinicians can view the data using with their favorite app that uses FHIR. This eliminates having to use the lab portal or another extra system to view the results. The patients can also use a FHIR app to view the results. Similarly, there is no requirement that a patient needs to log onto the lab portal and keep up with one more password.
Workflow 2
In this workflow, immunization data is sent to the state and stored in a FHIR repository. As in the previous example, this allows flexibility for both clinicians and patients to access immunization data.
Instead of having to log into a state-provided portal, clinicians and patients can use their favorite FHIR-capable healthcare app to view immunization records. This allows for flexibility in using an application that is familiar to the user, and allows accurate patient data to be integrated and viewed through one application.
There are many potential workflows that FHIR enables. Read about more use cases in our FHIR Primer.
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