The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology (ONC) has certified the Carefluence OpenAPI platform as the first of its kind to fully comply with meaningful use Stage 3 interoperability requirements using the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard, according to a company announcement.
A 15-year veteran as a healthcare technology company Grand Blanc, Mich.-based Carefluence offers software solutions and technology integration services for electronic health record (EHR) vendors and healthcare providers. The Carefluence application programming interface (API) platform was designed to “demystify” interoperability allowing dissimilar systems to communicate using a standards-based FHIR OpenAPI to bring healthcare communities together, the company stated.
Indeed, according to the new federal regulations for open API implementation, the ONC will be required to measure each healthcare system's success in achieving "widespread interoperability.” Every healthcare provider with a certified EHR will be required to provide an open API for automated delivery of all authorized requests to access electronic patient records.
This certification comes from the Drummond Group, LLC, which is authorized by ONC to test software for compliance with interoperability requirements of meaningful use. It designates that the Carefluence OpenAPI software module can be deployed alongside existing EHRs—providing functionality which allows open access to electronic health records and enables providers to receive incentive payments from the federal government, officials said in a press release.
Specifically, the Carefluence OpenAPI is a comprehensive, “plug-and-play” software solution that fully complies with the FHIR standard which describes data formats and elements for exchange of health information across disparate EHR systems. Any EHR vendor can license the Carefluence OpenAPI and offer it to their customers with the assurance that their product will be meaningful use compliant, avoiding the costly internal development of a custom open API solution. Hospitals and medical groups can also avoid the disruptions and costs of EHR software upgrades, according to Carefluence officials.
“The Carefluence OpenAPI is a living example of a complete FHIR implementation to interconnect any healthcare system, doctor, patient or medical device,” CTO, Aditya Ayyagari said in a statement. “It normalizes all incoming requests and data as appropriate FHIR resources, bringing simplicity and flexibility to the Carefluence platform.”
This Health IT module is 2015-Edition compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ACB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
