MedMorph: FHIRing Up Automated Data Exchange

Making Electronic Data More Available for Research and Public Health (MedMorph) provides a common technical infrastructure that can be used for multiple use cases and empowers health data interoperability through the use of the FHIR® R4 and Bulk FHIR® APIs and a focus on the common needs across use cases. With input from diverse technical and subject matter expertise, a MedMorph reference architecture (RA) implementation guide (IG) was developed to provide a robust infrastructure for automated data exchange. Representative use cases (viral hepatitis C surveillance, central cancer registry reporting, healthcare surveys, and research data exchange) were modeled and developed content IGs based on the MedMorph RA. A pilot with the viral hepatitis C surveillance use case provides insights into the real-world application of the RA. Additional pilots (cancer registry reporting and healthcare surveys) and additional use cases within and beyond public health and research (e.g., hospital influenza surveillance, birth reporting, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] FHIR-based quality reporting, Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA] Uniform Data System [UDS]+) have begun or are planned to begin within the next year.