By Kendra Obrist, Senior Consultant, Product Strategist, Point-of-Care Partners
LinkedIn: Kendra Obrist
LinkedIn: Point-of-Care Partners
What Stakeholders Need to Know
For those of us in health IT, it’s been clear for some time that HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) is an integral piece of the interoperability puzzle. As the digital health landscape continues to evolve, the newly named Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) has taken a significant step forward with its FHIR Action Plan, focusing on the widespread adoption of FHIR. This plan aligns with ASTP’s overarching goals of improving patient access to electronic health information (EHI) and enhancing nationwide interoperability.
POCP has seen first-hand the tremendous amount of collaboration that has already gone into FHIR development. The FHIR community, including Health Level Seven (HL7®) FHIR Accelerators, has been hard at work collaborating, testing, piloting, and supporting the implementation of FHIR to lay the groundwork for broader adoption. The ASTP’s action plan builds on this solid foundation, positioning FHIR as a crucial standard for modern healthcare data exchange.
Below are the key elements of ASTP’s HL7 FHIR Action Plan and how it aims to transform health data exchange:
1. Bolstering FHIR Standards Development
ASTP’s first priority is to support the continued development and maturation of FHIR standards. This includes working closely with HL7 to ensure FHIR’s readiness for real-world implementation through testing and piloting, ensuring scalability across healthcare environments. This ongoing work by the FHIR community, including the HL7 FHIR Accelerators, has paved the way for this initiative.
In addition to these efforts, ASTP collaborates with various federal agencies and the Federal Health IT Coordinating Council to align health IT strategies and accelerate FHIR’s integration into the healthcare system. This collaboration aims to streamline health IT efforts, promote interoperability, and enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of health data exchange across the nation.
2. Promoting Nationwide FHIR Adoption
One of the core objectives of the action plan is fostering widespread FHIR implementation. The United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and HL7® FHIR Accelerator Program have already been crucial in pushing healthcare organizations, developers, and providers to adopt FHIR APIs for secure and efficient sharing of standardized data. The ASTP’s action plan will continue this momentum, ensuring that FHIR remains central to the next phase of health IT interoperability.
3. Advancing FHIR through Policy and Rulemaking
The 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule already requires healthcare providers and payers to implement standardized APIs using FHIR. As part of the FHIR Action Plan, the ASTP will continue to advance FHIR through regulatory measures and certification criteria that ensure interoperability standards are met and that patients have greater access to their health information.
4. Supporting Implementation Resources and Tools
Recognizing the challenges organizations face during the transition to FHIR, the ASTP is committed to offering practical tools and resources to support implementation. By providing guidance, training, and other forms of support, the ASTP aims to help healthcare entities navigate the complexities of FHIR development and use.
5. Encouraging Innovation and Stakeholder Collaboration
Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of ASTP’s action plan. The ASTP is fostering further innovation through direct and strategic engagement with federal agencies, private-sector innovators, and public health organizations. This collaborative environment aims to develop new solutions leveraging FHIR to improve data sharing, enhance patient outcomes, and drive interoperability.
The Road Ahead
ASTP’s FHIR Action Plan is a welcome development for those of us who have long seen FHIR as a cornerstone of interoperability. With the ASTP’s focus on FHIR, we are moving closer to a fully interoperable healthcare ecosystem, where patients are empowered with seamless access to their health data and providers can exchange information more efficiently than ever before.
For more details about ASTP’s FHIR Action Plan, visit the official site.
If you’re navigating the evolving policy landscape and need a deeper understanding of how federal regulators are shaping the future of healthcare interoperability—including upcoming certifications and enforcement actions—POCP is here to help. Our team has the expertise to guide you through these complexities and ensure your organization stays ahead of the curve.
This article was originally published on the POCP blog and is republished here with permission.