Introduction

  • 6 minutes

The healthcare industry is rapidly moving to adopt the emerging HL7® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, or FHIR®, standard. FHIR defines an extensible data model with standardized semantics and data exchange that allows interoperability and rapid exchange of data in applications. The FHIRlink connector is a Microsoft Power Platform FHIR connector that helps Microsoft Power Apps developers build low-code, no-code applications that interact directly with FHIR data.

HL7 FHIR

HL7 FHIR is a data standard that revolutionizes the way that people exchange healthcare information. It's an open-standard data model that supports interoperability for healthcare systems, ensuring that people can share healthcare data across different platforms. The primary features of FHIR include a set of data models for healthcare and an API specification for exchanging data with these data models. Suites of tools and services are available for building and interacting with these APIs. For example, Microsoft offers Azure Health Data Services FHIR service as part of the Health and Life Sciences data platform. This standard is widely perceived as key to the future of interoperable health data in healthcare.

FHIR isn't only a technical standard; it's a catalyst for transformation across the healthcare ecosystem. The use cases span from health system interoperability to research and innovation in health startups. For example, FHIR helps with the consolidation of data from various systems into a single model, which users can enhance with analytics and machine learning. This approach facilitates new systems of engagement for interacting with data through the FHIR interface, leading to a more streamlined and effective approach to healthcare data management. Therefore, the adoption of FHIR is instrumental in driving a new era of healthcare that's more connected, efficient, and patient-centric.

Microsoft Power Platform connectors

Microsoft Power Platform connectors are essential components that help users create connected enterprise applications and integrate various data sources and services into their business processes. These connectors serve as the building blocks for automating workflows, creating custom apps, and generating business insights through Microsoft Power BI. They're designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft Power Apps, Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Power Virtual Agents, and Microsoft Azure Logic Apps. Additionally, the connectors provide a unified and efficient experience for users to connect to hundreds of data sources, on-premises and in the cloud.

Microsoft Power Platform connectors simplify the development process, helping users build enterprise applications that are robust and adaptable. By using these connectors, organizations can automate routine tasks, streamline data management, and enhance collaboration across various systems and teams. This approach helps improve productivity and drive innovation by allowing users to create solutions that are tailored to their specific business needs.

For more information, see Connector reference overview.

FHIRlink is a Microsoft Health and Life Sciences connector from Microsoft Power Platform. It helps bridge the gap between healthcare apps that are built on Microsoft Azure services and FHIR services. The FHIRlink connector combines the FHIR industry standard and Microsoft Power Platform connector ecosystem. FHIRlink supports multiple authentication methods to several FHIR service endpoints:

The connector aims to reduce the complexity in FHIR service authentication, query construction, and working with FHIR based data, therefore removing the need for custom, single-use integration solutions.

FHIRlink connector includes the following key benefits:

  • A custom connector designed for use with Microsoft Power Platform canvas apps, Power Automate flows, and Azure Logic Apps

  • Direct access to FHIR services from Microsoft Power Platform and Azure

  • Authentication for Azure Health Data Services FHIR service, Google FHIR services, and Epic on FHIR.

  • Reduced complexity of working with FHIR service APIs and the resulting FHIR data.

Organizations can use the FHIRlink connector with more than 1,000 existing Microsoft connectors to build targeted experiences for the healthcare industry.

Scenario

The FHIRlink connector helps Microsoft Power Platform makers build applications and business processes that directly connect to the FHIR server.

In this module, you connect to your Azure Health Data Services FHIR service useFHIRlink. You use the FHIRlink connection to build a canvas app that retrieves and renders FHIR clinical data. Next, you build a Power Automate flow that can post data to the same Azure Health Data Services FHIR service by using your FHIRlink connection.

Personas

Personas who would complete steps in this module's exercises include:

  • Microsoft Power Platform makers - People who are familiar with Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft Dataverse.

    • Citizen developers - Power users who can configure and customize Microsoft Power Platform solutions by using Microsoft Power Platform tooling.

    • Professional developers - People who can extend Microsoft Power Platform solutions by using code and past customization through Microsoft Power Platform tooling.

  • Healthcare administrators - People who might own FHIR services and want to build applications that connect.

Prerequisites

Make sure that you meet the following prerequisites before starting the exercises in this module:

  • Have access to a Power Apps environment with appropriate rights to create canvas apps and Power Automate flows.

  • Deploy Azure Health Data Services FHIR service and provide access to a Microsoft Entra user. For more information, see Get started with Azure Health Data Services.

Other recommended modules:

FHIR®, Google, and EPIC® are registered trademarks that are owned by Health Level Seven International and Epic Systems Corporation, respectively. Use of these trademarks on this page doesn't constitute endorsement by Health Level Seven International or Epic Systems.