# What is FHIR?

[FHIR®](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/index.html) (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is synonymous with healthcare interoperability, and is rapidly being adopted by EHR vendors, developers, payers, and patient applications. FHIR is a standard for exchanging healthcare information using modern web technologies. FHIR was developed by HL7, a Standards Development Organization (SDO).

HL7 maintains introductory content for [executives](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/summary.html), [clinicians](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/overview-clinical.html), [developers](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/overview-dev.html), and [architects](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/overview-arch.html).

## FHIR regulations

FHIR resources are open source and available to all, which allows for limitless connections to applications, providers, payers, and patients. 1upHealth maintains a [FHIR Interoperability Resource Center](https://1up.health/resources/interoperability-resource-center/) with more information.

FHIR APIs are specifically required for HIPAA compliant organizations due to the following CMS regulations:

- [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)](https://1up.health/blog/2019-08-10-onc-nprm/)
- [CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule (CMS-9115-F)](https://www.cms.gov/priorities/burden-reduction/overview/interoperability/policies-regulations/cms-interoperability-patient-access-final-rule-cms-9115-f)
- [CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F)](https://www.cms.gov/cms-interoperability-and-prior-authorization-final-rule-cms-0057-f)


## Basic FHIR data structure

FHIR data can be represented as either JSON or XML and consists of discrete data elements (called resources) and standard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) those data elements. Resources are representations of content such as patients, procedures, medications, claims, and many other resource types.

Each resource is a building block that is assigned a unique identifier. APIs enable multiple stakeholders to reference the same underlying resource across health systems, payers, developers, and other systems. FHIR resources can be interpreted by any system, including patient mobile apps, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and claims processing systems.

## 1upHealth and FHIR

1upHealth provides a managed, HIPAA compliant, FHIR API cloud server with comprehensive support for FHIR resource types and data models. The 1up FHIR API allows dynamic search and supports version histories, provenance, and AuditEvent tracking.

1upHealth supports all FHIR R4 resources defined in the [HL7 v2 Specification](http://hl7.org/fhir/R4/index.html). Some commonly used FHIR resources include `Patient`, `Encounter`, `ExplanationOfBenefit`, and `Provider`. Each FHIR resource is represented by a table where each row represents a single resource of that type. You can find a complete list of all available FHIR resources and information about how to use them in the [HL7 FHIR R4 Resource Index](http://hl7.org/fhir/R4/resourcelist.html).