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FHIR Interface

Overview

In addition to the traditional REST API, Onconova provides a FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) interface that enables standards-based healthcare data exchange. This interface offers an alternative interoperability approach specifically designed for integration with healthcare systems, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and other FHIR-compliant applications.

The FHIR interface exposes Onconova's clinical data using internationally recognized healthcare data standards, making it easier for healthcare institutions to integrate with existing infrastructure while maintaining semantic interoperability.

What is FHIR?

FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a modern healthcare data exchange standard developed by HL7 International. It provides:

  • Standardized data models for healthcare resources (Patient, Observation, Condition, etc.)
  • RESTful APIs for creating, reading, updating, and deleting healthcare data
  • Interoperability between different healthcare systems and applications
  • Clinical terminology support using standard code systems like SNOMED CT, LOINC, and ICD-10

FHIR Implementation Guide

Onconova's FHIR interface is fully documented in its Implementation Guide (IG), which provides:

  • Resource profiles defining how standard FHIR resources are used in Onconova
  • API endpoints and interaction patterns
  • Data mappings between Onconova's internal data model and FHIR resources
  • Usage examples and integration guidance
  • Validation rules and conformance requirements

📖 Access the complete FHIR Implementation Guide →

The Implementation Guide is the authoritative source for all FHIR-related technical details, including:

  • Cancer-specific resource profiles
  • Terminology bindings and code systems
  • Search parameters and capabilities
  • Conformance requirements and validation rules

Key Differences from REST API

Feature REST API FHIR Interface
Data Format Custom JSON schemas FHIR-compliant resources
Standards Compliance Onconova-specific HL7 FHIR R4 & mCODE
Target Users General integrations Healthcare systems
Data Anonymization Fully anonymized Pseudonymized (elevated access)
Authentication Session tokens Session tokens
Use Cases Research, analytics EHR integration, data exchange

Security and Access Control

The FHIR interface operates with different security considerations compared to the standard REST API:

Authentication

FHIR API endpoints use the same session-based authentication as the REST API but require additional permissions:

# Example authenticated FHIR request
curl -X GET "https://onconova.example.com/fhir/Patient" \
    -H "X-SESSION-TOKEN: eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJh..." \
    -H "Accept: application/fhir+json"

Getting Started

  1. Review the Implementation Guide: Start with the FHIR IG to understand available resources and profiles

  2. Obtain elevated permissions: Contact your system administrator to request FHIR interface access

  3. Authentication setup: Use the same authentication mechanism as the REST API, ensuring your user account has appropriate permissions

  4. Test integration: Begin with read-only operations to familiarize yourself with the data model

  5. Implement error handling: Follow FHIR standards for error responses and operation outcomes

Compliance and Standards

Onconova's FHIR interface is designed to support:

  • HL7 FHIR R4 specification compliance
  • US Core profiles where applicable
  • International Patient Summary (IPS) for global interoperability
  • SMART on FHIR for application integration (planned)
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