The Standard

This quarter has brought with it a lot of excitement for us to dive into the great realm of REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies) automation and its profound impact on our healthcare landscape. Buckle up, because we're about to review a thrilling journey we've been moving down towards greater efficiency, collaboration, and, most importantly, patient care!

Picture this: a world where cumbersome REMS processes are a thing of the past, replaced by seamless automation that not only streamlines workflows but also enhances patient outcomes. I know it sounds farfetched; however, I feel this dream is swiftly becoming a reality!

At the heart of this revolution lies a collective effort to transition from mere discussions to concrete actions. Through initiatives like HL7 CodeX and NCPDP (National Council for Prescription Drug Programs), we're witnessing a relentless commitment to leveraging standardized practices for interoperability and data exchange. I recently had the privilege of participating in the HL7 Connectathon, where the REMS Integration use case showcased the power of community collaboration. And guess what? We're gearing up to ballot the patient enrollment IG in May – talk about momentum!

But our quest doesn't stop there. We're just getting started! Events like the REMS Innovation Consortium (RIC) have served as epicenters of brainstorming, where industry pioneers gather to explore new horizons in patient care. Together, we're shattering the confines of traditional REMS programs and paving the way for groundbreaking innovations.

Webinar Highlights Real-World mCODE®-Compatible Structured Data Capture at University of Wisconsin Madison

At the September CodeX Community of Practice, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, 12 – 1 p.m. ET, Dr. Hamid Emamekhoo will present their approach to enhance structure data collection at University of Wisconsin Madison.

In his presentation, “Charting a New Course: Transforming Oncology Documentation to Enhance mCODE-Compatible Structured Data Capture,” he will discuss the process of creating optimized oncology specific note templates to prioritize the collection of encounter-specific treatment and disease-related data in a standardized manner. They focus on integrating data collection into the routine clinical workflow and improve the accuracy and quality of clinical documentation while collecting mCODE (minimal Common Oncology Data Elements)-compatible structure data that can ultimately improve the quality of care and patient outcomes.

The mCODE FHIR Implementation Guide is an open standard language for cancer data. Once adopted across the oncology community, mCODE promises to greatly increase the amount of high-quality shareable data for all cancer types, allowing data to be collected once and used for multiple purposes by clinicians and researchers to support patient care.

Hear Two Experts Discuss Real-World Genomics Data Exchange & Use Case
 Progress at Friday's Event

August brings a CodeX Community of Practice meeting that highlights advances in the Accelerator’s genomics domain, lessons learned and how the work improves research and patient care. The virtual session, which will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023, 12 – 1 p.m. ET., features two presentations:  

Advancing Genomics Data Exchange Using HL7 FHIR at the Molit Institut 

In the realm of genomic testing, most data presently is sent from the laboratory to health care organizations in the form of a PDF, which isolates this non-computable information within the EHR and limits access to the data for clinical care and research. 

Join us to hear how an early adopter of HL7 FHIR in this realm, Patrick Werner of the Molit Institut, is working to use FHIR to free the data. As a small independent non-profit research organization in Germany, Molit has received FHIR genomic reports for more than two years. Werner will share the opportunities, challenges and lessons learned with Molit’s successful genomics data exchange, including strategies implemented to ease data standards adoption across participating labs.  A review of Molit’s virtual tumor board for molecular oncology will showcase how Molit structures data and identifies possible gaps to assist identification of variants, prognosis on variants and recommendations.   

Presenter: 

Patrick Werner, Process Manager, Interoperability, Molit Institut 

Explore the Cross Accelerator Collaboration During the Discussion Aug. 23, 4 :00 – 5:30 p.m. ET

“Reducing Prior Authorization Burden and Improving Oncologic Care with HL7 FHIR,” August’s Community Roundtable, will highlight why and how Da Vinci is tackling prior authorization and hear how CodeX is leveraging the work of the Da Vinci Implementation Guides (IGs), which have been referenced in federal proposed interoperability rules, to tackle prior authorization challenges in oncology.  

 Join the session and discover the endeavors of the CodeX Prior Authorization in Oncology Use Case team to improve the care journey for cancer patients by expediting prior authorization via automation. 

The discussion will share real-world success stories from Da Vinci and how these efforts can serve as building blocks for CodeX solutions, as well as reveal how you can become involved and the benefits of participation in this work.

Presenters for this session include:

• Ellen Anderson, Enterprise Architect, Evernorth
• Kirk Anderson, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Chair, Da Vinci Steering Committee, Cambia Health Solutions
• Su Chen, MD, CodeX Program Manager, Clinical Science Principal, MITRE

Alix Goss, HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO, and Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners, serves as the session moderator.

Hear about the ONC’s USCDI+ Quality Initiative and learn the latest about the Quality Measures for Cancer Use Case on July 28

Latest advances in the use case and the success of Mayo Clinic’s adoption of minimal Common Oncology Data Elements (mCODE) to improve routine oncology clinical care focus of June Community of Practice

Prior authorization continues to be a pain point across the health care spectrum, and this month’s CodeX Community of Practice meeting will be highlighting prior authorization and how a standards-based approach is improving care at the Mayo Clinic.

According to a 2022 American Medical Association survey, 94% of physicians reported care delays associated with prior authorization, and 80% said these requirements can at least sometimes lead to patients abandoning treatment.

When treating cancer, the delays could be deadly.

Within CodeX, the Prior Authorization in Oncologyuse case focused on prostate cancer treatment is making strides in its iteratively phased proof-of-concept (POC). A goal of the use case is to automate prior authorization for cancer treatment so that 80% of approvals do not require manual inspection, expediting care for patients and reducing physician burden. CodeX participants are proving the utility of the Implementation Guides Coverage Requirements Discovery (CRD), Documents Template Requirements (DTR) and Prior Authorization Support (PAS) as developed by the HL7 Da Vinci Project Burden Reduction use case as well as in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services December 2022 proposed rule Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes.

Five new Steering Committee members will bring unique insights to an upcoming slate of HL7 FHIR use cases in oncology, cardiovascular health, and genomics.

CodeX, the HL7® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) Accelerator™ working to advance the adoption of FHIR as the standard to obtain high-quality, computable data for patient care and research, including the domains of oncology, cardiovascular health, and genomics, announced an expanded steering committee and new members of its leadership team.

“These experts in their fields are committed to helping CodeX develop and implement a strategic vision for the future with integrity, fairness, and equity. We embrace the HL7 ethos of collaboration and community to collectively solve interoperability challenges,” said Su Chen, M.D., program manager and clinical director of CodeX & digital health clinical principal at MITRE. In her role, Chen serves as chair of the CodeX Steering Committee.