By John Bender, Scott Bohon, Keith Carlson and Kyle Cobb, ONC
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT
ONC is excited to announce the launch of the Inferno Framework and the (g)(10) Standardized API Test Kit, the new version of the testing method for the § 170.315(g)(10) criterion in the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program). This new edition of Inferno is the product of a continued evolution of health IT standards testing and is designed to be more useful for health IT developers and easier for the health IT community to leverage for different types of standards conformance testing.
Inferno was created as a rigorous testing tool to help developers consistently implement the HL7® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard and associated implementation guides. Inferno is widely used by the industry for standards conformance testing for the Certification Program and beyond. Based on user feedback, the Inferno team has restructured the technical architecture to better support testers and at the same time provide additional flexibility that will allow developers to more easily use Inferno to test against new implementation guides. The newly restructured Inferno better supports multiple versions of standards, creates an accessible roadmap for external contributions, and provides the modular and extensible flexibility needed to accommodate testing today and into the future.
The Inferno Framework testing platform for FHIR conformance testing (and beyond) comprises:
- Inferno Core: The core platform for the Inferno testing framework defines testing concepts using a Ruby Domain Specific Language which can be used to write tests in “Test Kits” for conformance testing. It also includes a JSON API, which can simplify the integration of Inferno into new and existing workflows, and a basic web user interface to support user interaction with “Test Kits” in Inferno.
- Test Kits: Test Kits are modular containers that can be executed using Inferno Core. They include a series of tests for a specific use case and can include helpful things like reference implementations and test data generators. Test Kits can also be developed for specific implementation guides.
ONC has updated the tests for the Standardized API for Patient and Population Services certification criterion at § 170.315(g)(10) from Inferno Program Edition to the new (g)(10) Standardized API Test Kit which now includes:
- Tests necessary for demonstrating conformance to the § 170.315(g)(10) criterion.
- 170.315(g)(10)-conformant reference server.
- 170.315(g)(10)-conformant synthetic test data.
- Utility to generate § 170.315(g)(10)-conformant test data.
We encourage all Inferno users to visit and test the new Inferno Framework and please continue to provide feedback on the § 170.315(g)(10) Standardized API Test Kit GitHub page, engage the developer community on the chat.fhir.org Inferno page, and send us any inquiries using the ONC Health IT Feedback and Inquiry Portal.
We’re excited about the new Inferno Framework and (g)(10) Standardized API Test Kit and will provide more information and resources about the Inferno Framework in the coming months!
This article was originally published on the Health IT Buzz and is syndicated here with permission.