FHIR Standards: Overview with Examples
What Are FHIR Standards?
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards define the manner of how healthcare information is exchanged between different computer systems. The system does not intervene in the way that data is stored in these systems. This set of standards is the most updated version of HL7 specifications for healthcare interoperability.
FHIR vs HL7
HL7 (Health Level Seven International) is a messaging standard governing how medical data is transferred across various platforms. It is flexible, works well with HL7 V2 features, and covers HL7 V2.x and HL7 FHIR.
It also has a syntactic interoperability type. This means that two or more systems communicate and exchange data using a common, agreed-upon format, structure, or protocol. However, due to the different interface and programming languages, it cannot guarantee that the systems can fully understand the meaning of each other’s messages.
Furthermore, HL7 v2.x messages use a structured format made of segments separated by pipes (|). Each segment includes one or more fields divided by carets (^). The TCP/IP protocol transmits these messages. The TCP/IP protocol transmits these messages.
Meanwhile, FHIR is a newer iteration of this standard, enabling clinicians to share accurate health information across mobile apps and connected medical devices in real time. Its structure is based on access for REST APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), making it more flexible than HL7. Unlike HL7, it supports human readability.
In this article, we will talk about the importance of FHIR adoption in healthcare, its sample features, how it works as APIs and how Heidi, our AI care partner, can streamline your workflow with our FHR-built platform.
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The Importance of FHIR Adoption in Healthcare
FHIR adoption provides a way for health systems to exchange data. It is a standard recognized by HL7 and the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) for its safety, structure, and reliability. The adoption of FHIR allows information to move cleanly between systems and support accurate clinical decisions.
Encouraging Healthcare Innovation
FHIR supplies a more modern foundation for data exchanges. As a result, it becomes the catalyst for new applications, better care models, and increased operational efficiency across the entire healthcare ecosystem.
In the United States, the ONC Information Blocking Rule and the 21st Century Cures Act require certified health IT systems to support FHIR-based data exchange so clinicians and patients can access records. This regulatory push strengthens data sharing, improves patient access to their records, and creates space for safer, more effective digital health tools.
In the United Kingdom, NHS England mandates FHIR as the format used for national APIs. Programs such as MyHealth@EU (Ireland) show how widely FHIR now underpins cross-border access to records and provide patients secure continuity when travelling or relocating.
Seamless interoperability removes obstacles that slow care, strengthens coordination between teams, and helps patients stay engaged in their own health. Its flexible structure also supports population health work, predictive analytics, and personalized care. This creates clearer pathways for prevention and future public health responses.
Future-Proofing for AI and Analytics
FHIR allows AI systems to access, process, and share healthcare data across different platforms. It follows that standardizing healthcare systems becomes more important as many older healthcare systems rely on proprietary formats that block clean data exchange. This limits how well AI systems can analyze information and support clinical decisions.
Integrating AI via FHIR for clinical data integration shows how it can have a significant impact especially when it is integrated into healthcare. According to recent research, FHIR-based analytics frameworks can increase data interoperability from 11% to 66%.
FHIR Standard Overview: Sample Features
FHIR uses parts called resources that are similar to what doctors and nurses actually do. This makes it easy to work with systems because it uses web-based APIs. FHIR has rules already built in for things like coding and security.
It also has rules for versioning. This means that teams can share information quickly and easily. When they want to add tools to their existing systems, FHIR helps reduce the problems that can happen when connecting them.
Interoperability
FHIR allows EHRs, applications, and devices to share and interpret health information seamlessly. It also aligns with global regulatory initiatives. These include the European Health Data Space and the Cures Act in the US.
Flexibility
FHIR enables resource combinations, exchanges, and profile customization in many ways to suit specific needs. For instance, clinicians can share only the medication history with a specialist rather than the entire record. New digital tools can also link to an EHR because FHIR uses web-based standards that systems can read coherently.
Advanced Functionality
FHIR supports technology that enables workflows such as SMART on FHIR, Bulk Data, CDS Hooks as well as resources like CarePlan, Task and Encounter. Clinicians no longer have to retype information while moving between patient encounters. FHIR also refines specialty continuity and maintains traceable documentation across the patient journey.
Organizations benefit from FHIR with streamlined workflows, system-wide analytics, and scalable documentation that grows with clinical demand.
MaineGeneral Health (MGH) experienced this. The organization needed an AI partner that could strengthen today’s documentation and billing accuracy, and establish a durable foundation for the way they will use AI in the future.
Clinicians reported higher note accuracy, reduced cognitive load, and strong adoption, with 98% of early users actively integrating Heidi into daily workflows. “I'm using Heidi with every patient and I anticipate using it for as long as possible,” shared one physician.
Now, MGH is preparing to scale Heidi to more than 225 additional clinicians, supported by structured outputs that align with FHIR-ready environments. These gains demonstrate why enterprise systems benefit from FHIR-aligned tools that maintain structure, support safe provenance, and can be used in healthcare, like Heidi.
FHIR In Healthcare: How It Works
FHIR enables health systems to represent and exchange structured health data in a consistent format by using simple and modern web standards. As a result, clinicians get clearer information flow with fewer gaps.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
A computer program enters and receives the data and features of another system to easily share and exchange data. FHIR APIs enable smooth data flow between EHRs, HIEs, health apps, and other systems. Furthermore, they also utilize the RESTful style to achieve interoperability.
Heidi’s Context feature works with FHIR APIs because both rely on structured, standards-based data. When an EHR exposes information through FHIR, Context pulls the right details into the clinical moment without extra clicks or manual searching. It keeps the workflow steady so clinicians see what matters, when it matters.
Resources and Profiles
FHIR Resources define what kind of information is exchanged, while Profiles are custom rules that are built on those Resources, specifying how they are used for particular scenarios. As a result, they work together to ensure data is clear across different systems.
Heidi’s Patient Profiles uses a structured model for representing a person’s health information similarly to FHIR. This feature creates a single, unified view of a patient by linking sessions with custom identifiers and grouping consultations in order and keeping patient profiles and information clear and organized through pulling past notes into the current consult through the Context tab.
Streamline Your Workflow with Heidi’s FHIR-Built Platform
This is where Heidi comes in to help: as an AI care partner can support to double healthcare capacity. It has medical scribing capabilities and contains helpful templates for a variety of healthcare practitioners.
Here is how Heidi can empower and streamline your workflow in practice:
- Clinician-centered documentation: Heidi is built around real clinical workflows, filling in the gaps so that clinicians can strengthen rapport and focus on patient care.
- Trusted across specialties: More than 200 specialties worldwide use Heidi. Heidi also features templates built for each specialty’s standards and a system that captures meaning from detailed clinical conversations. Clinicians consistently rate the accuracy and detail of notes as Heidi’s defining key strength.
- Reliable performance in real clinical environments: Heidi can accurately capture interactions during telehealth, ward rounds and outpatient care despite background activity and even with multiple speakers. Health systems utilizing Heidi have reported reduction in after-hours work, strong note accuracy, and seamless workflow integration.
Heidi supports over 2.3 million consults weekly and meets local regulations and global privacy standards. Furthermore, Heidi excels in automating administrative tasks. This empowers clinicians in reducing burnout and recentering focus on patient care.
FAQs About FHIR Standards
What is the meaning of FHIR?
FHIR stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. This is a set of rules that helps with sharing healthcare information on computers. Health Level Seven International developed FHIR.
Who uses FHIR?
Hospitals, insurers, and government bodies rely on FHIR to move health data using clear, modern formats such as JSON. It helps keep information consistent across EHR systems, which strengthens research and streamlines care. Major technology and EHR vendors have adopted FHIR because it improves patient access, maintains accurate provider directories, and is compatible with modern security standards.
What is the 80/20 rule of the FHIR data standard?
The 80/20 rule of the FHIR data standard states that 20 percent of data needs to appear in 80 percent of real clinical workflows. HL7 designed it this way to keep the base specification simple, stable, and usable across settings. Anything more specialized is handled through extensions, which help teams to meet local requirements without breaking interoperability.
