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FHIR: OpenMRS Strategy, Tools, FHIR API, and Help

FHIR: OpenMRS Strategy, Tools, FHIR API, and Help

Yes, OpenMRS supports FHIR! This page will explain in more detail the why, how, and what of OpenMRS' use of the FHIR standard, as well as some real-world production examples.


OpenMRS' FHIR Strategy

Why FHIR? 

  • Integrations between systems in healthcare are critical for exchanging important health information - e.g. between the EMR and a Lab System, or Inventory System, or a National Identify System.

  • HL7 FHIR is a standard for how information can be shared between systems. Over the last decade FHIR has been embraced by health system leaders and corporations world-wide as the standard-of-choice for health-related data sharing. 

  • In recent years, OpenMRS community members are increasingly embracing FHIR as an efficient way of achieving cross-system interoperability. 

How can OpenMRS Members use FHIR today? 

  • OpenMRS FHIR API: The community-created, community-maintained OpenMRS FHIR Module acts as a translation layer between the FHIR standard and OpenMRS' custom data model: it maps OpenMRS data model items to FHIR Resources, and provides a FHIR REST API developers can use to query data for purposes of client-side rendering (e.g. a frontend widget) or data exchange with another system. The FHIR Module allows both export and import of data in the form of FHIR Resources - a "two-way street". More guidance below on this page. 

  • OpenMRS FHIR IG: To see which FHIR resources are mapped to OpenMRS and what to query, see the OpenMRS FHIR IG documentation here. The OpenMRS FHIR Module does not (yet!) cover all possible FHIR resources nor all the data in OpenMRS, but we have aimed to cover the highest priority items. We have been building out the module with community implementers based on their pressing needs (e.g. see the Lab System, MPI, and SHR use cases below). 

“Using FHIR IGs has sped-up our average integration time of OpenMRS with OpenELIS from 6-8 months to 2-3 days.” - UW ITECH DIGI Interoperabilty Team

Note: We are forever grateful to Brown University and ITECH for their dedication in co-founding the OpenMRS FHIR Module. 

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