The HL7 FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST) UDAP Security for Scalable Registration, Authentication and Authorization Implementation Guide (FAST Security IG) was designed to streamline and secure data exchange across different healthcare stakeholders. This blog post seeks to dispel common misconceptions about the complexity of implementing the FAST Security IG.
Journeying Through Industry Waters: FAST's Impactful Presence at Recent Events
As the dust settles from the whirlwind of activity over the past several weeks in the healthcare industry, marked by prominent events such as ViVE and HIMSS24, it'sevident that innovation and collaboration are at the forefront of progress. Amidst this bustling landscape, the FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST) has not only made its presence felt but has also unveiled new initiatives, including the launch of the FAST Focus webinar series and the initiation of public meetings for its scalable Consent project. This blog is a brief highlight of all the most recent excitement and includes helpful links for your reference.
Introducing FAST Focus: A Quarterly Glimpse into FHIR Infrastructure
Launching the inaugural FAST Focus webinar marked a significant milestone, offering a quarterly rendezvous for the FHIR and interoperability communities. This platform serves as a vital conduit for keeping stakeholders abreast of FAST's endeavors in bolstering FHIR infrastructure. Past sessions' recordings and decks are readily available on the FAST calendar page in the archive section, providing a wealth of insights for eager participants.
HIMSS24: Spotlight on FAST's Participation
FAST had a presence at HIMSS24 and was thrilled to interact with so many attendees, from the FHIR curious to seasoned FHIR implementers curious, to learn more about FAST’s work. FAST provided volunteer FAST representatives to staff the HL7 Accelerator kiosk in the interoperability showcase. The kiosk buzzed with activity and insightful interactions. FAST also left an indelible mark with multiple presentations at the Spotlight Theater and the HL7 booth, amplifying awareness and fostering dialogue around FHIR infrastructure work.
The Sequoia Project and HL7 Enter Strategic Collaboration to Advance FHIR Implementations Nationwide
Communities Advancing FHIR and Healthcare Interoperability Formalize Joint Efforts for the Public Good
HL7 and The Sequoia Project, a non-profit and trusted advocate for nationwide health information technology (health IT) interoperability, are pleased to announce a strategic collaboration to advance global health data interoperability by accelerating the adoption of the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standards in the U.S.
“We are thrilled to announce this alliance with HL7,” said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. “We look forward to working with HL7, alongside private and public sector subject matter experts, to advance nationwide FHIR implementation to improve interoperability nationwide.”
HL7 and The Sequoia Project will work together to accelerate the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard through coordinating with the work of FHIR at Scale Taskforce HL7 FHIR® Accelerator (FAST).
Through this strategic relationship, HL7 and The Sequoia Project aim to continue working together in areas of mutual interest, including standards deployment and adoption, alignment between HL7 FHIR Accelerator projects and Sequoia initiatives, and creating a feedback loop to HL7 based on lessons learned from real-world production-level exchange initiatives, education, and testing.
“At HL7, we are delighted to continue the journey toward meaningful interoperability with The Sequoia Project,” said Charles Jaffe, M.D., Ph.D., HL7 CEO. “Close collaboration is certain speed to market health IT interoperability improvements to reduce the strain on health systems, diminish clinician burden, and improve the lives of our patients.”
Mark Your Calendar: Inaugural FAST Focus Webinar on FHIR Infrastructure Work
Greetings, all interested in advancing healthcare through smart technology and robust infrastructure! We are thrilled to announce the launch of the FAST Focus, a quarterly webinar series that aims to keep you informed about and engaged with the work of FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST). You are invited to join us for the inaugural FAST Focus webinar on March 7, 2024, from 4 PM to 5 PM ET!
Event Details
- Date and Time: March 7, 2024, 4 PM-5 PM ET
Speakers:
- Alex Kontur, Public Health Analyst, Office of the National Coordinator (ONC)
- Duncan Weatherston, CEO of Smile Digital Health and Co-Chair of FAST
- David Pyke, Technical Director, FAST
Moderator: Alix Goss, Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners
The first FAST Focus Webinar will provide a deep dive into FAST's history, its pivotal role in crafting a framework for scalable FHIR infrastructure, and its current community focus. This event is not just about history; it's a glimpse into the future of health IT, revealing key projects that FAST has in the pipeline and providing a roadmap for how you can actively engage with our work. As an interactive session, we'll reserve time for a Q&A at the end to address your burning queries. Registrants will have the opportunity to submit questions when registering.
In a recent episode of HIMSSTV, two healthcare interoperability visionaries, Deepak Sadagopan and Duncan Weatherston, took the virtual stage to share their expert insights on the critical FHIR pathway within the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) model. This captivating discussion was led by the co-chairs of the HL7 FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST), and it shed light on the transformative potential of FHIR in shaping the future of healthcare data exchange.
Meet the FAST Community
Before we dive into the interview, let's take a moment to acquaint ourselves with the remarkable work being done by the FAST community. The HL7 FHIR at Scale Taskforce is a dedicated group committed to identifying scalability challenges and defining solutions to overcome the barriers to broad FHIR adoption. FAST is addressing key areas like Security for Scalable Registration, Authorization, and Authentication and Interoperable Digital Identity and Patient Matching. The FAST community’s list of projects can be found on the FAST Confluence Project Page. An upcoming project on Consent is set to kick off soon, promising exciting prospects for healthcare data sharing. To get involved, reach out to fast@hl7.org.
On behalf of the HL7 US Realm Steering Committee (USRSC), we are pleased to share an update on last year's priorities and highlight our focus for 2022.
2021 Highlights
Visibility was a key theme of our work in 2021 and included supporting pilot work on a standards dashboard, tracking accelerator activity and promoting key ballots.
Before we dive into 2022, we want to highlight a few key points for all US Realm (USR) members.
- SMART v2: published new guidance on granular controls
- Bulk Data v2: published with numerous new features
- Errata release of Consolidated CDA (C-CDA): companion guide to support January 2022 ballot
- C-CDA Companion Guide: January 2022 ballot to add USCDI v2 guidance
- US FHIR Core - January 2022 ballot: to add USCDI v2 guidance
- Hosted reviews on HL7 Standards Dashboard Prototype
- C-CDA Web Publishing Trial Draft using FHIR Structure Definition
- Facilitated US@ project with ONC team
Recap of the August Da Vinci Project Community Roundtable on DRLS and FAST
As the HL7 Da Vinci Project continues to make rapid progress in developing use cases to enable the exchange of healthcare information, work has been underway to test and widely deploy these cases among industry players.
Efforts led by federal agencies have been in motion to use solutions based on HL7’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard at scale, as well as to incorporate FHIR use cases in a federal initiative that developed and tested a prototype to demonstrate the capability to streamline clinical workflow access to coverage requirements.
Presenters at a Da Vinci Project community roundtable on August 26 said the initiatives are important in bringing the benefits of automated information exchange throughout the healthcare industry, while taking steps to reduce the burden on providers.
The FAST Initiative
In one initiative, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is convening a FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST) that brings together a representative group of motivated healthcare industry stakeholders. FAST aims to take use cases that are being demonstrated in initial efforts between partners in the industry and ensure that they can operate more broadly.
“In building solutions for FHIR for interoperability, we realize that individual solutions are being developed to work between one endpoint and another,” said Stephen Konya, senior advisor to ONC and the Department of Health and Human Services. “When we start to roll these out at scale – when there’s a large number of payers sharing a large amount of data with a large number of providers – the game changes.”
Community Roundtable scheduled for August 26 will detail progress toward DRLS and FAST
The HL7 Da Vinci Project’s August Community Roundtable features updates on two initiatives that leverage healthcare industry collaborative efforts to advance information exchange using HL7® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®).
This is in response to two federal agencies that are seeking to maximize efficiency at scale and overcome barriers and physician burden in the healthcare system.
The agencies – the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)– will provide updates on the progress on these efforts during the August 26 Community Roundtable.
The federal agency efforts aim to build on collaborative efforts underway in the healthcare industry, which are at the heart of the work by the HL7 Da Vinci Project, an accelerator seeking to advance the use of FHIR standards in support of value-based care initiatives.
The CMS Center for Program Integrity began the Documentation Requirement Lookup Service (DRLS) initiative in 2018, working in collaboration with the healthcare industry, in to response to ongoing provider burden experienced when trying to identify coverage-related documentation requirements, including those for prior authorization.