| Process | Content | Architecture | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Model |
The information modeling process identifies and defines information concepts, and the relationships between those concepts, that are needed for information exchange. The process considers existing systems, information exchange standards, current and pending regulations, and business requirements. The process results in a single model that supports multiple information needs, including use in the enterprise architecture of healthcare organizations. |
The information modeling content consists of concepts (classes, attributes and their relationships) that are exchanged between systems in order to complete a health-related business (or clinical) workflow. These elements are properly defined and encoded in a standardized manner so that disparate systems can reliably interpret and utilize the data exchanged. |
The information modeling architecture consists of FHIM domains/UML packages, information classes and attributes, and terminology bindings. These structures support requirements for target implementations, such as HL7 V2, CDA, FHIR. Terminology bindings associate data attributes with value sets and are specific to the target implementations. |
| Terminology Model |
The Terminology Modeling process clarifies and confirms use cases and model semantics, starting with standards, and defines links to the information model. It defines value sets for use in FHIM-supported interactions that support standard based content and implementations. It defines explicit value set properties, including data type harmonization and model binding semantics. |
Terminology Modeling content describes code systems and value sets that harmonize requirements and existing standards. Terminology content has become more and more critical and is now the primary modeling focus. Most content has direct tracing to extant standards specifications. All terminology content not already specified in standards are published in a terminology repository. |
Terminology Modeling architecture consists of code systems, value sets and terminology bindings. It supports the requirements of coded data types for multiple target implementation specifications and provides the information model with bindings to link coded data attributes to value sets, such as HL7 FHIR, CDA V2, etc. |
| Implementation |
The implementation process retrieves FHIM information and terminology content from the models and generates draft implementation standards and other implementation artifacts such as FHIR profiles and CDA templates, implementation guides and APIs for conformance testing of an implementation against the requirements of an implementation standard. |
Implementation content consists of UML models and profiles defining FHIM templates, implementation specifications and APIs (application programming interfaces) for conformance testing of an implementation against the requirements of an implementation standard. |
The implementation architecture consists of an open source software application called Model Driven Health Tools (MDHT) and a standard called Model Driven Message Interoperability (MDMI). MDHT uses FHIM UML templates and structure definition specifications, for processing FHIM information and terminology content into target implementation specifications, such as HL7 FHIR, CDA and V2. |