The Standard

April 24 Session Focuses on Importance of Testing and Connectathons for Implementation Success

In this timely overview, which allows you to prepare to participate in upcoming May, July and September Connectathons, the HL7 Da Vinci Projectwill highlight a key component of implementation: testing.

Experts and hands-on participants will outline why testing is important, the terms used in testing and how testing events, such as Connectathons, are organized and critical to implementation success. Who should be involved, the value of testing partnerships, what activities are planned, and how you can participate will also be discussed. The session concludes with an invaluable primer on testing tools and resources available for your use.

“Jumpstart Your HL7 FHIR Implementation: Testing and Connectathons Demystified,” is slated for April 24, 4 - 5:30 p.m. ET and features the following presenters:

• Jeff Brown, Healthcare Standards Advisor, Lantana Consulting Group
• Mike Gould, Associate Vice President, Interoperability Strategy, ZeOmega
• Kyle Johnsen, Software Developer, Epic

The session is moderated by Alix Goss, HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO, and Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners.

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.

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. 

Register Now for March 27 Session

Fresh from the HIMSS24 stage, the presenters at the March HL7 Da Vinci Project Community Roundtable will explore existing pain points of scaling HL7 FHIR between payers and providers, the advantages of leveraging FHIR exchange networks, and the challenges that come with it to ensure security and privacy of health data.

“Interoperable FHIR: Networked FHIR Exchanges Learnings and Industry Reflections,” this month’s program, is slated for March 27, 4 - 5:30 p.m. ET.

Panelists will focus on specific use cases and stakeholders to compare different approaches.

In addition to the presentation, Da Vinci program leadership will present updates and reflections from recent months, including top themes from ViVE and HIMSS events.

Panelist include:

• Jim Adamson, Business Transformation Manager, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Dave DeGandi, Interoperability Strategist, Cambia Health Solutions
• Bill Howard, Board Chair, eHealth Exchange
• Jocelyn Keegan, Program Manager, HL7 Da Vinci Project, and Payer/Practice Lead, Point-of-Care Partners
• Karuna Relwani, Business Lead Interoperability, Blue Cross Blue Shield

The Community Roundtable is moderated by Alix Goss, HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO, and Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners.

By the US Realm Co-Chairs: Brett Marquard, Steve Posnack and Dan Vreeman, DPT

Greetings HL7 community, your US Realm Steering Committee co-chairs come bearing news. For the past few years, we have started to do a “state of the realm” recap for everyone at the January WGM. The full details are available here, but we wanted to celebrate and acknowledge some of 2023’s great work and what’s to come in 2024 through this post as well.

2023

• US Core 6.1.0 and C-CDA Companion Guide R4.1 were published to add USCDI version 3 guidance.
• CDA Web and C-CDA Web were balloted in a common HL7 publication framework.
• US Public Health Library 1.0.0 was published, which represents a domain specific profile library in the US Realm and a foundation for future public health projects.

2024

• US Core will finalize USCDI v4 in May 2024, and then begin v5 design (in the fall).
• C-CDA web publishing, using the FHIR StructureDefinition to support USCDI v4 (now) and then v5 (in the fall).
• Now that ONC’s HTI-1 Final Rule is out and concrete dates are set, the industry transition from US Core 3.1.1 as a baseline to 6.1.0 is upon us. US Realm, in collaboration with other work groups, will be prioritizing its time to focus on supporting this migration. Please engage early and often this year as transition issues pop-up for you.

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.  

February Roundtable also features Payer Data Exchange and Burden Reduction Overviews

This week’s HL7 Da Vinci Project Community Roundtable, “HL7 Da Vinci Implementation Guides Solve Your Real-World Business Problems: Postable Remittance, Payer Data Exchange and Burden Reduction Overviews,” is scheduled for Feruary 28 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. ET. 

Da Vinci leaders will introduce the newest use case focusing on postable remittance advice and will share an overview of the Implementation Guides that are suggested in the proposed rules and how they meet the rules’ objectives.

With the issuance of the new federal interoperability rules, the innovative interoperability work advanced by the HL7 Da Vinci Project is once again being recognized as a path forward for game-changing industry transformation that will reduce burden, increase automation and improve care. You will learn how to access the resources, participate in community feedback and start getting involved.

The presenters will include:

• Robert Dieterle, HL7 Da Vinci Project Sr. Advisor and Burden Reduction Lead
• Naomi Miao, Business Operations Manager, athenahealth
• Mark Scrimshire, PDex Project Lead & Implementation Guide Lead, HL7 Da Vinci Project, and Chief Interoperability Officer, Onyx Health

The session is moderated by Alix Goss, HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO, and Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners.

5 Tips for Getting Your App/Pilot/Project from Idea to Implementation

Are you ready to identify healthcare partners for your real-world pilot?

Have an app developed, but don’t know how to break into healthcare?

Or, perhaps you’ve received a “yes” from healthcare, but now find yourself in a spiral of administrative approvals.

We all have impactful, valuable projects; however, at least in the case of healthcare, we are navigating an industry facing myriad challenges – financial pressure, staff shortages, regulatory compliance. Make it easy for them to work with you and you’ll find a smoother path forward.

At HL7's January’s FHIR Connectathon and Working Group Meeting, Adele Stewart and Elizabeth Sprouse of Double Lantern Informatics hosted the education session “From Ghosted to Welcomed: Developing FHIR-based solutions with healthcare technology acceptance in mind.” Here are five tips from their talk. Want the rest of the scoop? Catch the full talk here.

1. Understand workflow implications.

Build relationships with people in clinical informatics. These individuals will often help you understand workflow implications to your project that must be considered, such as:

• Will you need to save data back to the electronic health record?
• If you need to save back to the chart, how do you navigate this?
  • Where will it be saved?
  • Does the project involve a note that needs to be signed and/or support co-signature?
  • Does a Health Information Management committee need to be involved?
• Does your solution involve a clinical alert? At the healthcare site, is clinical committee review needed for new alerts?
• How will your project alter the current workflow and what training and communications must accompany go-live?

January Roundtable also features Providence’s Clinical Data Exchange Implementation Journey

Are you interested in hearing federal officials provide an overview of the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057)?

If so, register now for next week’s HL7 Da Vinci Project Community Roundtable, “CMS Interoperability Final Rule Overview and a Clinical Data Exchange Success Story: How Standardization Improves Value Based Care Performance,” scheduled for Jan. 24 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. ET.

The HL7 Da Vinci Project is thrilled to have CMS join next Wednesday’s Community Roundtable to offer highlights of the final rule in addition to the scheduled program showcasing Providence’s Da Vinci Clinical Data Exchange (CDex) Implementation Guide implementation journey.

Providence became the first major health system to implement CDex standards, and their journey included piloting with Premera Blue Cross and the vetting and approval by internal quality teams and external Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) auditors. The session concludes with a discussion of benefits experienced using CDex, including improved decision making, reduced burden, improved patient outcomes and enhanced quality of care to patients.

The Da Vinci Project is a private-sector initiative that accelerates the adoption of HL7 FHIR as the standard to support and integrate value-based care (VBC) data exchange across communities. The goal of the project is to help payers and providers positively impact clinical, quality, cost and care management outcomes, enabling providers to see the right data at the right time for patient-centered care.

The presenters will include:

• Lorraine Doo, Senior Policy Advisory,Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service
• Alex Mugge, Deputy Chief Health Informatics Officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service
• Semira Singh, Director, Population Health Informatics, Providence  
• Michael Westover, Vice President, Population Health, Providence 

The session will be  moderated by Alix Goss, HL7 Da Vinci Project PMO, and Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners.