FHIR vs. HL7 Version 2: What to Know for Healthcare Interoperability

What should health interoperability look like in less than a decade?

Earlier this year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, crowdsourced visions for the future of interoperability in healthcare.

More than 700 submissions have been compiled and summarized online at Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030. Among the answers from health system experiences were improved digital integrations, data safety and decreased administrative tasks for clinicians.

Standards are needed to support interoperability, which healthcare systems remain committed to improving, especially as the volume of collected data continues to grow. Among the standards that the ONC highlights are HL7 Version 2 and FHIR, both from the nonprofit standards development organization Health Level Seven International.