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Intro to FHIR

FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a standard developed by HL7 for exchanging healthcare information electronically. It is designed to facilitate interoperability between different healthcare systems, enabling seamless sharing of clinical data across various platforms and applications.

FHIR is relevant in today's healthcare landscape as it addresses the growing need for efficient data exchange, improved patient care, and enhanced clinical decision-making. By adopting FHIR, healthcare providers can ensure that their systems can communicate effectively, leading to better coordination of care and improved health outcomes.

Haste Health leverages FHIR to provide a robust and flexible platform for healthcare data management. Our platform supports FHIR R4, allowing healthcare organizations to integrate their systems seamlessly and access patient data in real-time. This enables providers to deliver more personalized care, streamline workflows, and enhance overall operational efficiency.

Base URL​

A project's FHIR endpoint is:

https://[host]/w/[tenant]/[project]/api/v1/fhir

Everything below it is a FHIR path: .../api/v1/fhir/Patient/12345, .../api/v1/fhir/metadata, and so on.

The FHIR version is not part of the URL​

A project is created with one FHIR version, recorded on its Project resource, and that version cannot be changed afterwards. The server reads it from the project, so the URL does not need to carry it.

The older form with the version in the path still works and will keep working:

https://[host]/w/[tenant]/[project]/api/v1/fhir/r4/Patient/12345

It is deprecated for new integrations. A request that names a version the project is not served as is rejected rather than answered in the wrong version.

The version-less base is also the identifier used everywhere else the endpoint is named: the aud of an access token, the iss and aud of a SMART launch, and the fullUrl of entries in search and history bundles. See SMART on FHIR.

Breaking change

The aud of an access token changed from .../api/v1/fhir/r4 to .../api/v1/fhir. Tokens issued before the change fail validation, so clients must obtain a new one; a refresh is enough. SMART apps that have the versioned URL registered as their audience need it updated.

For further reading on FHIR, consider exploring the following resources: