Constant technological advancement has dramatically changed the functioning of the healthcare industry. A discussion about the healthcare industry cannot be complete without mentioning the exchange of healthcare information. Easily accessible medical records are a necessity for every healthcare professional and even the patient. This is now possible with FHIR. 

FHIR, also known as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources is a formidable attempt by Health Level Seven (HL7) for healthcare data interchange and to digitalize the health records.

It is an interoperability standard that allows all healthcare professionals, organizations and clinical staff to share and exchange clinical patient data through software. It bridges the gap between all parties that need instantaneous access to patient information. 

The prime focus of healthcare is always the patient. Interoperability is a major step in the process of giving the patient optimum care that they require. The easy, quick and efficient exchange of vital medical records is just one of the reasons for FHIR’s popularity.

Numerous factors have paved the way in giving FHIR the much-needed attention-

FHIR would make direct communication between organisations a reality. It allows the creation of a system wherein the health data would be transferred easily without any risk of it being accessed by a third party. It also eliminates and cuts down the tiring process of exchanging data between systems. The easy availability of the necessary information would smoothen the next steps.

Knowledge empowers people. Sharing the patients’ clinical data with them would ensure that they are better equipped with information about their health. This increases their faith in the healthcare service providers. It allows them to make informed decisions about their treatment in the future. Any decision pertaining to diet, the treatment plan, exercises required would be based on information.

There are multiple parties involved in the care of a single patient, including himself, the family, the physicians, the clinical staff and the diagnostic staff. FHIR has brought about a patient-centric approach. It allows the e-medical records of a patient to be easily accessed by various parties. The easy access to medical data creates seamless communication and a great level of coordination. This, in turn, leads to optimum patient care. 

With easy access to accurate patient-related information, the physicians and their care teams would be able to devise effective treatment plans. The introduction of remote monitoring and various virtual care tools would ensure proper care at all times. This would save time and effort on the part of the physicians and the care providers.

With specifics of each patient’s data in hand, research and analysis would take a new flight, giving the healthcare sector a significant boom. 

Prompt actions play a vital role in providing efficient patient care. With FHIR, healthcare information is exchanged easily and without any delay. The user-friendly FHIR interface is an added benefit for the users. With a capable integration system, the patients receive the best care possible. 

Developing an application with FHIR is easier as it uses technologies like REST. The costs in comparison to developing other applications are lower, making FHIR cost-effective.

With FHIR, the healthcare data is easily transmitted and the results are analyzed more efficiently. This eventually leads to a reduction in overall healthcare costs.

Today, HL7 standards are readily available for free. The introduction of FHIR has improved the documentation process, and drastically reduced the lag time. The unrestricted specifications of FHIR have led it to become a key to improved healthcare interoperability. 

With everyone on constant move, today everything is on-the-go. The number of mobile users is on the rise, outnumbering desktop users. In such a scenario, everything is turning mobile. FHIR as a platform can be easily set up. The ease of access by mobile phones has created a surge in its usage.