FHIR Exchange CA:FeX Specification
Standardizing the Sharing of Patient Data
To support provinces and territories, Canada Heath Infoway (Infoway) is facilitating a national collaborative effort to standardize the sharing of vital patient information using the Pan-Canadian FHIR Exchange (CA:FeX) Specification. This effort leverages FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) for information exchange and aligns with the objectives of a Health Information Exchange (HIE).
Seamless and secure patient data sharing is essential for delivering coordinated, efficient, and high-quality care. Standardized interoperability frameworks ensure that health information can be accessed, exchanged, and understood across different systems, providers, and jurisdictions.
What is the CA: FeX Specification
The CA:FeX Interoperability Specifications promote the use of FHIR Representational State Transfer (RESTful) exchange patterns. These industry-standard patterns can be applied on top of both existing non-FHIR infrastructure and FHIR servers. Currently, CA:FeX focuses on the FHIR RESTful exchange of documents, offering multiple structures and patterns to achieve interoperability. To guide implementers, CA:FeX identifies a range of choices, from simple to sophisticated solutions. As CA:FeX continues to evolve, the aim is to develop a more formal Integration Profile, providing more comprehensive guidance on FHIR RESTful exchange patterns to further support interoperability efforts.
Why was the CA: FeX Specification developed?
The CA: FeX Interoperability Specifications (pan-Canadian FHIR Exchange (CA:FeX) were developed to promote the use of FHIR RESTful exchange patterns to ensure easy data sharing between different platforms and technologies. These industry-standard patterns can be applied on top of both existing non-FHIR infrastructure and FHIR servers, enabling a more consistent and scalable approach to interoperability.
Currently, CA:FeX focuses on enabling the secure and efficient exchange of documents, reducing fragmentation in health data exchange. It offers multiple structures and patterns to achieve interoperability, allowing implementers to choose solutions that align with their technial and operational needs.
As CA:FeX continues to evolve, the aim is to develop a more formal Integration Profile to provide more comprehensive guidance on FHIR RESTful exchange patterns to further support interoperability efforts.
Access the CA:FeX