Related Terms
HL7
Healthcare API integration
See Also
Many practice tools now use FHIR APIs to read schedules and patient details from the EHR. See how EMR integrations work in practice.
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Category Core: EMR/EHR
Reading time: 1 min
Updated: Oct 2026
FHIR
Definition
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, pronounced "fire") is a standard from HL7 International that lets healthcare software request and share patient data through modern web APIs.
Why the distinction matters
FHIR breaks health data into small building blocks called resources. Patient, Appointment, Observation, and MedicationRequest are each a resource with set fields. An app can ask for one resource, like a single appointment, instead of waiting for a full message file to arrive over a custom interface.
It uses the same tools as most web apps: REST calls and JSON or XML. Release 4, published in 2019, was the first version with a stable core.
In the US, the ONC Cures Act rule requires certified EHRs to offer a standard FHIR API for patient and population data, so most major EHRs now expose one.
Example
A patient opens a health app on their phone and links it to their clinic's EHR. The app sends a FHIR request for their Observation resources and gets back lab values, like an A1c from last month, in a few seconds. Nobody at the clinic prints, scans, or emails anything.
Frequently Asked
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Is HL7 the same as FHIR?
They come from the same organization. FHIR is HL7's newer standard, built on web APIs, while HL7 v2 sends message files over a set interface. Many practices use both.
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Is HL7 still used?
Yes. HL7 v2 still runs a large share of lab, hospital, and scheduling interfaces today.
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Does my practice need to know HL7 to connect software?
Usually not. Your EHR vendor and the software vendor set up the interface. You'll mainly need to approve the connection and confirm which data flows each way.