SMART on FHIR Interoperability Engine

Authors

Jessica Chen, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Laurel Carder, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ryan Orth, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Caleb Rosenboom, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ellenna Divingnzzo, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2024

Comments

Copyright 2024, Jessica Chen, Laurel Carder, Ryan Orth, Caleb Rosenboom, and Ellenna Divignzzo. Used by permission

Abstract

Signature Performance, Inc. is a leading healthcare administrative services company founded in 2004 with the vision of transforming the industry. Their mission is to improve the health of our clients' business and make the lives of the people we work with better.

Interoperability has been a challenge in the healthcare industry due to rigid regulations. This year, Signature Performance challenged the Design Studio team to develop a healthcare interoperability engine to streamline data exchange. The primary objectives included querying and extracting data from diverse Electronic Health Records systems (EHRs) and integrating seamlessly with Substitutable Medical Applications and Reusable Technologies (SMART) on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). FHIR is a next-generation interoperability standard created by the standards development organization Health Level 7 (HL7) which enables health data to be quickly and efficiently exchanged. The end-product will optimize processes such as medical document retrieval.

The team built an integration engine capable of connecting, querying, and extracting data from various EHRs, including EPIC and Cerner. The results of the extraction can be used in machine ingestions (JSON) or human-readable formats (PDF). The engine enables Signature Performance to exchange information with providers, payers, and systems from a centralized application. This results in reduced administrative costs and provides healthcare interoperability.

Leveraging the widely adopted HL7 FHIR standard, the integration engine automates manual processes, streamlines operations, and boosts revenue by promoting efficiency. Real-time access to patient data through FHIR integration improves clinical decisions, leading to enhanced patient outcomes and satisfaction. The integration engine stands as a valuable asset for optimizing Signature Performance's future healthcare operations.