Health Data Interoperability: Standards and Policy
Foundational standards for the health data ecosystem
The Health Data Interoperability team works on standards and policy. We contribute at the national and international level to support the development of core capabilities such as data models, authorization protocols, user experience integration, and data access APIs. Key focus areas include the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard, as well as work within the “FHIR Accelerator” community (Argonaut Project, CARIN Alliance, and SMART Health IT). Every time we work on an interoperability specification, we aim to create sample data, reference implementations, demonstrations, and testing tools alongside the spec. These practices help keep specifications “implementable,” identifying gaps and ambiguities early in the development process. We also advocate for policies that empower individuals with frictionless access to their own health data, aligning policy priorities with technical capabilities.