Why FHIR is Better?

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is an attempt to digitalize the health records. Since technology has succeeded in easing modern lives in many aspects, similarly, it has changed the way the healthcare industry works. FHIR is a standard platform that allows the exchange of healthcare information, such as medical history, records, bill payments and etc., electronically. The number of users who use mobile technology is increasing with every second that passes. In such a scenario, FHIR and APIs are the future of interoperability. It’s important to extend the benefits of digital healthcare services to a larger, global audience and make it more accessible. With components like PHR, it doesn’t sacrifice on information integrity, yet provides easy access for each and every user. Some of the reasons why FHIR is better compared to other alternatives are listed down below:

• Improved care co-ordination – Accessibility is one of the key benefits of FHIR. It allows electronic health records to be accessed by multiple people. It is a platform that has enabled easy access to medical information and seamless communication between various stakeholders. This has improved the care coordination for the patients.
• No restrictions – One of the major reasons as to why FHIR is better because in this case, specifications are free for use, without any restrictions. The whole process of documentation has gotten a lot easier with FHIR because earlier HL7 standards did not allow free access.
• Well suited for mobiles – FHIR is a platform that has used technologies that can be easily set up and accessed by mobile phones. Many mobile devices support programs with HTTP and JSON. and this has led to a huge and rapid increase in the number of apps that deal with healthcare and medicine. The number of users who use mobile phones is much higher in comparison to those who use desktops. So, this has made the entire industry more accessible.
• Supports restful architecture –FHIR provides tools that have made online sharing easier. It saves time and energy because lesser time is required for the exchanging of data. Tools such as POST, PUT, can be used to ease the entire process.
• Vendor-neutral – Many healthcare vendors have agreed to join the FHIR platform because it is beneficial for them and also easy to access. An initiative called Argonaut project has enabled vendors from different backgrounds to access the FHIR platform easily. Many innovative apps have also come up leading to the creation of a vendor-neutral space.
• Developer friendly – FHIR is not at all difficult in approach. FHIR employs many different web technologies that are not new or inaccessible. These technologies are quite known and familiar to many developers such as the REST, XML, ATOM, etc.
• Data consolidation – Data is power in today’s times, and FHIR adds value to the data in the sense that it shares common symptoms and treatments for many diseases. Thus, it has encouraged various medical advancements.
• Reduces bottleneck – Interoperability allows the data to be understood, transmitted and shifted easily between various systems using a platform and without any restrictions. FHIR does the same; it allows the physicians from different departments to transmit data, files, and records in real-time; removing various inherent bottlenecks
• Fast and easy to implement – Time is really important, especially in the healthcare industry. Even a fraction of seconds can determine the patient’s future. FHIR, with the help of the right interaction engine, can work faster. It has a simple interface that is easy to use and implement. Any technology that is easy to implement is quite beneficial for the users.
• Cost-effective – The problem with most systems is that they are quite complex. As FHIR is quite adaptive and easy to use, it has led to a better exchange of information. Health information can be transmitted easily, and results can be analyzed without any hassles. This contributes to a reduction in manual labour, imaging, and lab tests; thus, the overall healthcare cost is reduced. A system works with ease, which then helps in cutting down the cost of total expenditure.

Well, these were some of the reasons, as to why FHIR is better. As they say, change is constant, and with the rapid technological changes in various aspects of modern lives, it has become imperative to stay abreast with new technology. FHIR is one such technology that can be quite helpful for the patients and healthcare organizations.