New Agreement for Cooperation on Health Information Interoperability Announced

The HL7 and IHE organizations have renewed a long-standing cooperation agreement between them.

The organizations signed a statement of understanding to improve communications, scheduling and project coordination, for faster adoption of the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard.

Participants in Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE; Oak Brook, IL, USA) activities, and IHE committee members regularly provide feedback on testing and implementation relevant to Health Level 7 International (HL7; Ann Arbor, MI, USA) working groups. HL7 is the global leader for the development of health Internet Technology (IT) standards, while the IHE works to promote the adoption of these standards by health IT companies. The goal of the renewed agreement is to advance the interoperability of health information.

FHIR provides a framework for implementation of the HL7 standard, and combines Web technologies and HL7 capabilities. FHIR defines resource elements, extensions, terminologies, localization, API features, and conformance for targeted Implementation Guides (IGs). FHIR profiles are widely used to facilitate interoperability.

CEO of HL7 International, Charles Jaffe, MD, PhD, said, "We've recognized a need to impart more clarity about our mutual roles for the community and the marketplace. With the development of FHIR, HL7 has introduced new processes that may seem to overlap with IHE. Therefore, we will seek to clarify how each organization uses terms such as profile and connectathon, and most importantly, the respective roles our organizations play."

Related Links:
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise
Health Level 7 International