Request for Information (RFI):  Use of the Health Level Seven International (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) for Capturing and Sharing Clinical Data for Research Purposes

Background
On September 20, 2019, the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) published a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit public input on how the Health Level Seven International (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard could be used to capture, integrate, and exchange clinical data for research purposes and to enhance capabilities to share research data.

Information Requested
NIH is requesting input on how the FHIR standard could be used by NIH funded researchers to capture and integrate patient- and population-level data from clinical information systems for research purposes and to use it as common structure for sharing research data.  In particular, NIH would like to better understand researchers’ experiences using FHIR, the extent to which researchers plan or do not plan to use FHIR, what tools may be needed to effectively use FHIR, the need for research regarding standards development, and opportunities and challenges with using FHIR. 

This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a policy, solicitation for applications, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that information. 

Responses may be compiled and shared publicly in an unedited version after the close of the comment period. Please do not include any proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in summaries of the state of the science, and any resultant solicitation(s). The NIH may use information gathered by this RFI to inform development of future guidance and policy directions.

We look forward to your input and hope you will share this RFI with your colleagues.

For any inquiries regarding this RFI, please contact:
Belinda Seto, PhD
Office of Data Science Strategy
National Institutes of Health
Email:  FHIRRFI@nih.gov

Submitting a Response
NIH is soliciting input from all interested stakeholders, including researchers, health care providers, academic institutions, medical institutions, health IT developers, professional organizations or societies, as well as other interested members of the public. Organizations are strongly encouraged to submit a single response that reflects the view of their organization and membership as a whole.

All comments must be submitted online using the form below. To ensure consideration, responses must be submitted no later than November 23, 2019, 11:59:59 PM EDT.

All responses are voluntary, and you may choose to respond to any or all of the topics listed below: