HL7 and one of its FHIR Accelerators, CodeX, have created GenomeX, a new domain dedicated to advancing the interoperability of genomic data using FHIR resources, and CardX, a cardiovascular data exchange.
The initial core focus for CodeX projects was integrating a standard language for cancer data called mCODE (minimal Common Oncology Data Elements) to support better, safer, faster cancer care, with lower burden and cost. CodeX recently announced efforts to leverage the CodeX/mCODE accelerator’s experience within two new domains: Genomics and Cardiovascular.
HL7 says that enabling the use of a patient’s genomic information in their care opens a new chapter in physicians’ ability to proactively address and more precisely target health conditions.
Building on the work of the HL7 Clinical Genomics Work Group, including its FHIR Genomics Implementation Guide, CodeX’s GenomeX community will work together to design and execute scalable pilots that leverage the value of FHIR Genomics across multiple use cases. Proposed use cases include:
• FHIR Genomics Data Exchange: Designing and building scalable FHIR Genomics interfaces so that genomic data can easily be shared from laboratories to EHRs and/or genomic repositories.
• FHIR Genomics Operations: Enabling access to complex genomic data through APIs so that developers can more easily develop and populate data for a range of genomic applications.
HL7 said initiating this genomics-focused domain within CodeX will expedite genomics use cases by pairing subject matter expertise with tested program management, technical and clinical support, as well as a governance structure.
“Scaling the data standards necessary to make genomics an integral part of everyday healthcare is a perfect opportunity to use the FHIR Accelerator model, which has been successfully executed by CodeX and other accelerators,” said Arthur Hermann of Kaiser Permanente and the facilitator for GenomeX, in a statement. “I encourage all stakeholders in the genomics ecosystem to join us in this endeavor.”
“For clinical genomics to develop beyond its current maturity, we need to represent genetic variation as computable data, not only in the laboratory, but wherever we interact with it. Sharing this data among the many domains where it’s required demands a modern, RESTful architecture. The FHIR-based solutions being developed under GenomeX are going to address these needs head-on, and we are eager to participate,” stated Peter DeVault, vice president, genomics and interoperability, at Epic, in a statement.
CardX (Cardiovascular data eXchange)
The mission of CardX (Cardiovascular data eXchange) is to engage a diverse group of stakeholders in the cardiovascular domain to enable standards-based interoperability in cardiovascular health and healthcare. The goal is to strengthen the delivery of cardiovascular care by supporting clinical care quality and patient safety through alignment with clinical guidelines, performance measures and metrics, and participation in cardiovascular registries.
Clinical information is routinely captured in unstructured documents stored in non-interoperable, siloed platforms. CardX aims to identify and use core clinical information as “good data” for assessing patient characteristics, treatments, and outcomes through standardized and interoperable FHIR APIs.
CardX will identify opportunities and execute scalable pilots that demonstrate the value of standards-based interoperability across multiple use cases. Foundational to CardX is the development of the core CardX cardiovascular vocabulary – a standard language for key cardiovascular clinical concepts and data – and the creation of the CardX FHIR Implementation Guide.
Examples of potential CardX use cases include:
• FHIR-based remote patient monitoring with guidelines-based management of hypertension;
• FHIR-specified, high-quality data elements captured in EHR documentation and re-used for registry data submission;
• Application development targeting decision support that leverages standardized cardiovascular data for the management of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and other high-prevalence, high-burden cardiovascular diseases; and
• Enabling FHIR-based cardiovascular data exchange in health information technology systems, particularly pilots demonstrating the feasibility and value of adoption and scaling of FHIR-based approaches.
