Impact of HL7 Da Vinci program and FHIR

Claude Louis-Charles, PhD

  

Integration of technology in collection management and retrieval of patient information has increased. Benefits of integrating technology in the management of healthcare services are evident and have increased the quality of health care services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources is standard of exchanging healthcare information using electronic devices as opposed to the traditional way where the paper was used. Many healthcare centers are developing and implementing electronic healthcare record systems to provide prompt health care services and also to safeguard the confidentiality of patient information. Digitization of health record seeks to make access to health care services more accessible. One person does not administer health services. Health officers work as a team and performing different roles work to enhance patients’ health. Health systems work like a network where each person activity that influences operations and ability of other stakeholders in the system to perform their duties better. Health officials rely on the information provided by the patient and other health officers the patient has interacted with before to decide on the best medical advice or approach to use in meeting a patient’s needs. Sometimes, patients are supposed to move around the health care setup while seeking medical services. In such arrangements, they have to move around with papers carrying their information or have the health experts share the data directly. Is paramount that when seeking medical services, patients information is available, authentic, stored confidentially, and understandable. Electronic systems have helped overcome common problems associated with manual information handling systems such as loss of data, among others. Machine-based data processing methods are being embraced as they promote the provision of better health care services with ease. This paper examines the impact of HL7 Da Vinci and FHIR and the potential improvement gains from leveraging the program and the FHIR and also examines potential improvement gains from the leveraging on Microsoft Cloud Products that include FHIR and Microsoft Sentinal SEIM.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have a significant role in interoperability; therefore, it is set to revolutionize how health information is collected and analyzed used in decision making and stored for future reference. Interoperability of health information is becoming of more concerns, hence providers, developers and vendors of the systems are putting much focus on the standards of data and what must be observed to make the system work better (Kreuztthaler, Martinez-Costa, Kaiser, & Schulz, 2017). Application of better data standards in interoperability will result in the seamless on-demand exchange of information systems that will promote the health of the public while allowing health service provider better services within a short time and with ease. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource has become a familiar and well-known mechanism for amalgamating distinct data systems. “The systems hold many promises for the development of an application-based approach to interoperability and allow easy sharing of health information among stakeholders” (Alter, Gonzalez-Beltran, Ohno-Machado, & Rocca-Serra, 2019). HL7 is responsible for developing a draft information standard for use in the provision of medical services.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources model seeks to build an initial set of resources that can independently or by working with other systems meet different requirements related to the handling of patient information. The model seeks to define the content of patient information and structure that best allows for the saving and retrieval of patient information with ease (Yu, Beam, & Kohane, 2018). The system has each set of data having a unique identifier that differentiate it from other sets of data. Concepts used in retrieving data from electronic or cloud systems have been used in Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource systems. For example, when ordering a specific item from an online vendor, you have to log in to the online platform and enter the name of the product. The system responds with a URL with a string of a unique identifier for the product which allows it to retrieve the desired outcome among the set of many other similar but differentiated products. HL7 has used the same approach to developing Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources systems (Braunstein, 2018). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources systems allow system developers to come up with a standardized browser application that would enable accessing the information, irrespective of the operating system used to develop the electronic health record systems infrastructure.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources can be a service provider set of data comprising metadata, text, or specific data elements. The system can also contain bundled information that can be tedious to go through to find accurate information. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources can be used to come up with a comprehensive set of health care information that describes clinical observations and services (Sultan, 2014). Through the creation of a standard URL, it becomes easy to share or access information as opposed to passing physical files with patient information back and forth for interested persons to go through. Anyone interested in having certain information only needs to access have the URL through which they will have complete access to the data.

 

 

There have been numerous attempts to improve the interoperability of health care information. However, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources differs significantly from previous efforts in various ways. Primary systems are facilitating the sharing of patient information use documents to pass data from one person to another. The reports can then be shared through email, fax machines, or sent through other electronic mediums (Owens, Bulik, & Andes, 2018). In such cases, the providers select the means of sharing the information before composing the info. The approach has helped health care service providers communicate, although it has certain limitations that have made it unpopular over the years. The restrictions have had severe effects on coordinating health care services and decision making and further complicate the data analysis process.  For example, consolidated clinical document architecture is a standard information template that contains vital information required in the provision of medical services (Hu, Lu, Khan, & Bai, 2012). However, the data, to a large extent, is static, and much effort is needed to extract the data and use it in other formats. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources has overcome such limitations; thus, the enormous impact it is having in the handling and management of health information. Health care information greatly influences the administration of health care services. Sharing information thus affects the quality of health care services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have enabled the extraction of specific data required from a set of data and easy integration of new information in the systems used to analyze the data for use in decision making.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have also influenced the amount of information shared. Traditional systems of data sharing only provided critical information which was requested without offering related information that would assist in better comprehension of the situation under review (Yu, Beam, & Kohane, 2018). Complete information about a patient’s health status is essential in decision making as compared to only providing the requested information. Document-based exchange of information does not offer the opportunity to provide sufficient details that results in the administration of better medical services. Document-based information sharing does not permit delving into the context of the data, hence limiting the extent to which the health status of a patient is comprehended (Sultan, 2014). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have had a significant impact on improving patient’s understanding by offering more information that results in a better understanding of patient problems. Document exchange, but has failed to expand to the level of data exchanged to the required level.

Through the use of standardized application programming interface standards, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources permit systems, developers, to come up with computer and smartphone applications that go beyond the document based environment. The applications can be connected with essential electronic health record operating systems and provide information directly to the medical service provider workflow (Richesson, Lynch, & Hammond, 2019). Such an integration of the two systems further reduces the limitations of document-based exchange systems that require health care service providers access the information separately. The existing interoperability system is focused on disabling challenges related to reconciling different sets of data. Better data reconciliation efforts will help improve the performance of the system; hence, improvement in the quality of health care services. In the future, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources is relying on Apps to coordinate health care plans across artificial boundaries created by electronic health record management systems (Thomas, 2019). Cloud applications allow easy integration and synchronization of information and will play critical roles in streamlining the collection, sharing analysis, and use of patient data to provide medical services. Logging in and accessing data from two separate information systems can be tedious and not practical where time is limited. Use of cloud computing systems and applications is allowing the amalgamation of patient information from various sources (Owens, Bulik, & Andes, 2018). Cloud computing approach and use of smartphone applications are set to influence the sharing of patient information even in the future. Microsoft Azure is set to play a significant role in the management of patient information.

 

 

Health care information technology systems should be about patients’ needs. The health care information system cannot have an impact on the health sector if they fail to address the patient’s needs. Interoperability is proving critical in bringing outpatients first perspective (Alter, Gonzalez-Beltran, Ohno-Machado, & Rocca-Serra, 2019). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources are proving to be an essential support mechanism for the timely and effective exchange of data that informs the provision of health care services to promote the wellbeing of patients. Regulatory requirements are turning out to be a significant factor in the adoption of interoperability. There is also the need for information systems used within the health sector to share information following certain pre-established and agreed upon standards such as the one developed by Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. Safety of systems handling patient information cannot be compromised.

Additionally, the systems should be efficient and effective in promoting patient welfare (Sultan, 2014). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have had a tremendous impact on ensuring efficient delivery and management of patient information. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources has provided a secure, access based information sharing system that movement free.

Provision of health care service should be a frictionless process — the patient’s desire seamless care experiences which are guaranteed by easy access to information. Health care information system providers are exploring systems that allow cross-system interoperability. Though they come at extra cost, many system providers are incorporating advanced data exchange systems in their architecture through the integration of Application Programming Interfaces. Integrating patient-generated health data into the electronic health records systems enables health care service providers to track the health status or improvement of their patients (Kreuztthaler, Martinez-Costa, Kaiser, & Schulz, 2017). Much value is generated when information is shared and utilized for the intended purpose. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources allow patients to create data that will be used to provide better health care services. For many years, electronic health record systems have relied on data collected by a health officer to administer health care services. Sometimes, the data collected while patients are interacting with patients is not enough.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources are impacting the health care system by allowing patients to generate data and feed into the health care information system with ease. Information provided by patients helps improve service provider-consumer relationship (Sultan, 2014). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources have empowered patients by offering platforms they can use to share information that can be used to improve their health conditions. Apple recently developed a platform that permits consumers to access medical records and provides even more information on their wellbeing. Apple Health Records Application is based on HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources to collect, compile, and analyze patient data (Yu, Beam & Kohane, 2018). The app has a friendly consumer approach, and the provider continues to work with health care service providers to develop better health care information management systems.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is an emerging concept in the management of health records, but has already had significant impacts on the development of electronic health records systems. The approach has influenced how providers of electronic health management systems are compiling their systems. It has also made developers boarded the scope of information that can be shared across the system (Richesson, Lynch, & Hammond, 2019). Electronic records management system developers can leverage on promising data standards to develop better systems able to suit emerging needs in the management of patient information. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource has been critical in the development of systems that prevent or reduce challenges related to patient engagement and the development of robust population health management programs (Richesson, Lynch, & Hammond, 2019). Service providers have been able to develop intelligent clinical operations with the ability to make independent decisions to support the provision of better services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is positioned to continue impacting the health care sector and transforming information management activities and ensuring health care services are delivered in the best way possible.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is being used in the expansion of population health management capabilities. Management of population health is not an easy process. A lot of resources and personnel are required. Patient information must be obtained with ease and shared across service providers to ensure swift delivery of services To ensure better service delivery. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource has been essential in the creation of specialty-specific applications that break down big data into small units that health practitioners can relate to with ease (Sultan, 2014). In this error of big data, handling of information has become complicated and can hinder prompt delivery of service if the information is not well managed, analyzed, and integrated into the provision of better medical facilities. Many health care centers in developed nations are leveraging on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource to make clinical decisions. The decisions are based on real-time access to patient records and input of service providers (Alter, Gonzalez-Beltran, Ohno-Machado, & Rocca-Serra, 2019). Population health has been critical in the promotion of better health conditions across the world. The major problem in the provision of population health services has been linked to the enormous amount of information that service providers have to rely on when providing medical services. Medical experts have to go through volumes of information to make a decision. Sometimes, going through much information does not generate any significant value to an organization (Yu, Beam, & Kohane, 2018). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is being designed to allow easy access to the desired information that will be used in decision making without having to go through volumes of data that does not apply to specific medical conditions.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is also impacting private sector interoperability efforts like the Healthcare Services Platform Consortium. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is becoming the centerpiece in the quest to come up with an electronic health record agnostic marketplace for mobile phone applications (Hu, Lu, Khan, & Bai, 2012). The smartphone applications facilitate the movement of information across disparate systems.  Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource has been identified as the solution to the quest to ensure seamless flow of information. Information is very vital in the provision of medical services. Wrongful information is hazardous in the provision of medical services and can result in loss of life if medical service providers are not careful (Owens, Bulik, & Andes, 2018). Developing nations were not able to safeguard the health of their patients because they have failed to have information that will guide decision making and planning for services that enhance the quality of health care services.

Electronic health record management systems have become very popular across the world, and almost all systems are making reference to Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and how it is poised to revolutionize the current health information technology landscape. Many resources are being put to attract third-party experts with vast technical know-how to influence the development of better patient records management systems (Hu, Lu, Khan, & Bai, 2012). Microsoft cloud is a complex data storage mechanism that requires an extensive understanding of cloud computing principles. Selection of best information technology concepts for integration into the health record management systems is not an easy process. Many health care service providers are not tech savvy and would wish to interact with systems that are easy to communicate with (Gonzalez-Ferrer, Seara, Chafer, & Mayol, 2018). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource considers the simplicity of technology for integration into the system. The value systems that allow secure user interaction and troubleshooting. Currently, innovators are exploring how Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and cloud computing can resolve longstanding logistical challenges in the provision of medical services. Microsoft has been instrumental in opening up opportunities for developers to build across record management systems across interoperable electronic health records management systems. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is allowing grassroots developers to take part in the development of information systems, especially those for use in remote areas (Gonzalez-Ferrer, Seara, Chafer, & Mayol, 2018). Before the development of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource, only well-known developers were sought after, which is no longer the case. Various information technology experts can successfully take part in building systems that will transform the management of patient information and the successful integration of the information in the provision of quality medical services.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and cloud computing have been at the forefront of making health care services similar to other Internet-based experiences. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and Microsoft cloud computing are impacting patients’ experiences in a big way (Braunstein, 2018). The internet of things has changed every sphere of human life, including the administration of medical services. However, many tools for that connect patient-generated health information with healthcare center have not been developed. There has been a disjoint in the synchronizing of information provided by patients and that fed into the system by medical experts. Many systems rely on data extracted from patients by medical staff. Patients have not had the opportunity to generate information about their health conditions and directly feed into health systems (Kreuztthaler, Martinez-Costa, Kaiser, & Schulz, 2017). Patients sometimes understand their health conditions better and can create data that will help doctors plan well on the service to administer.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is providing opportunities for a patient to develop and feed their information directly to health records management systems. It is providing the missing link that existed between the internet of things and the ability of patients to remotely provide or have their health records into a medical records management system (Yu, Beam, & Kohane, 2018). Technology has enabled the development of many tools such as Apple watches, Bluetooth scales, blood glucose monitors diet apps, and fitness trackers, among others. The devices have attracted a lot of consumer attention over the years. The tools collect vital information about users’ health, but the information is never received for use in the provision of medical services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource, coupled with Microsoft cloud technology, is set to make sharing of such information easier. The information has for along not beng used because medical providers can access the information and use it to plan for the provision of medical services (Sultan, 2014). Cloud technology will facilitate communication among computers used within a health center to collect and store patient information as data collection devices which a patient interacts with even outside the hospital set up.

Filtration of information to ensure only the desired information is accessed at a given time is the primary problems affecting the inclusion of data from various sources by medical experts when planning for patient care services (Kreuztthaler, Martinez-Costa, Kaiser, & Schulz, 2017). It would mean less for medical service providers if they cannot access meaningful information collected by multiple tools of technology outside the healthcare center. However, there is a challenge of presenting information in a format that allows actions to be taken with ease. Filtering the amount of data collected and ensuring only what is desired is accessible for use has been an uphill task which Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource and Microsoft cloud computing is set to resolve (Braunstein, 2018). Future studies in Microsoft cloud computing and its integration into the electronic health management system should focus on how to integrate the information in a secure manner and on time to facilitate the provision of better medical services. The real value lies in filtering information collected by the various tools and presenting only what is vital in the administration of medical services (Alter, Gonzalez-Beltran, Ohno-Machado, & Rocca-Serra, 2019). Microsoft cloud technology can develop a single and comprehensive database that can be viewed by many medical service providers. The database is also able to integrate information from different regions, sources, and formats and avail it when needed in the desired form.  Interoperability challenges have limited many stakeholders in the healthcare community from achieving better care at lower cost. The dual challenges of data standardization and easy information access are compromising the ability of both payers and providers to create efficient care delivery solutions and effective care management models. The goal of the Da Vinci project is to help payers and providers to positively impact clinical, quality, cost and care management outcomes. Da Vinci stakeholders are industry leaders and health IT technical experts who are working together to accelerate the adoption of HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (HL7® FHIR®) as the standard to support and integrate value-based care (VBC) data exchange across communities. Da Vinci responds to a need to establish a rapid multi-stakeholder process for addressing value-based care delivery use cases that can be implemented on a national basis. The objective is to minimize the development and deployment of unique solutions between trading partners (e.g. a payer and provider). To promote interoperability across value-based care stakeholders and to guide the development and deployment of interoperable solutions on a national scale, the industry needs common:

  • Standards (FHIR)

  • Implementation guides

  • Reference implementations

Members have established a governance model that will ensure equal representation from stakeholders and offer transparency. Funding members will have the ability to focus priorities for industry progress and meet the overarching goal to improve appropriate clinical and metrics data sharing between providers and payers. The founders represent a diverse body of stakeholders with experience across the specific VBC business challenges, emerging FHIR standards and practiced at agile development. Founding organizations are drawn from payers, providers and vendors committed to making value-based care a reality.

 

 

Future developments of electronic health records will be influenced by how people relate to their phones. Human beings are spending much time on their phones and in the process, receive or disseminate much information. Electronic health records will be impacted by mobile technology where people continuously provide information which is filtered and only desired information used at the end of the process (Owens, Bulik, & Andes, 2018). Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource has many promises and opportunities which, if they are fully explored, the health sector will significantly be transformed. HL7 Da Vinci and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource are changing the health sector (Alter, Gonzalez-Beltran, Ohno-Machado, & Rocca-Serra, 2019). They are now leveraging on Microsoft cloud products to offer better services.  Development of interoperability technologies has been based on the need to provide better health care services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource takes a straightforward approach in the designing and development of solutions to problems facing the health sector. With increased human population and the changing complexity of health conditions, a medical expert will require much information in designing appropriate health services. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource is eliminated and overcoming problematic gaps associated with having patient information in document format. Sharing information in physical documents has presented many challenges, some of which have compromised the delivery of better health services. Microsoft cloud is set to provide better secure avenues for sharing information that will positively influence the delivery of medical services. Health information technology systems continue to evolve with Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources playing a central role in their design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Alter, G., Gonzalez-Beltran, A., Ohno-Machado, L., & Rocca-Serra, P. (2019). Discovering Data Access and Use Requirements Using the Data Tags Suite (DATS) Model. bioRxiv, 518571.

Braunstein, M. L., (2018). Health Informatics on FHIR: How HL7's New API is Transforming Healthcare. Springer International Publishing.

González-Ferrer, A., Seara, G., Cháfer, J., & Mayol, J. (2018). Generating Big Data Sets from Knowledge-based Decision Support Systems to Pursue Value-based Healthcare. International Journal of Interactive Multimedia & Artificial Intelligence, 4(7).

Hu, Y., Lu, F., Khan, I., & Bai, G. (2012, December). A cloud computing solution for sharing healthcare information. In 2012 International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (pp. 465-470). IEEE.

Kreuzthaler, M., Martínez-Costa, C., Kaiser, P., & Schulz, S. (2017). Semantic technologies for re-use of routine clinical data. Stud Health Technol Inform, 236, 24-31.

Owens Jr, R. C., Bulik, C. C., & Andes, D. R. (2018). Pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics, computer decision support technologies, and antimicrobial stewardship: the compass and rudder. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 91(4), 371-382.

Richesson, R. L., Lynch, C. O., & Hammond, W. E. (2019). Developing and Promoting Data Standards for Clinical Research. In Clinical Research Informatics (pp. 403-431). Springer, Cham.

Sultan, N., (2014). Making use of cloud computing for healthcare provision: Opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Information Management, 34(2), 177-184.

Thomas, M. A., (2019). Evaluating Electronic Health Records Interoperability Symbiotic Relationship to Information Management Governance Security Risks (Doctoral dissertation, Northcentral University).

Yu, K. H., Beam, A. L., & Kohane, I. S. (2018). Artificial intelligence in healthcare. Nature biomedical engineering, 2(10), 719.

 

 

 

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Introduction to FHIR and Its Importance in U.S. Healthcare