What is CA:FeX – Venuiti Healthcare

What is CA:FeX?

Learn about the Canadian FHIR Exchange

The Canadian FHIR Exchange (CA:FeX) is an interoperability specification developed by Canada Health Infoway to enhance health information exchange.

It acts as a key building block, in the pan-Canadian Interoperability Specifications, to enable interoperability across jurisdictions.

CA:FeX is the connective tissue to allow for communication between systems that follow a common standard (eg: PS-CA).

Here at Venuiti, we have developed the first-ever commercial implementation of CA:FeX.

CA:FeX Allows You to Operationalize a Standard

Adopting a standard and operationalizing a standard are two different things, and this distinction is critical for achieving meaningful progress towards interoperability in Canada.

CA:FeX provides a foundation to operationalize standards by turning high-level concepts into practical, real-world solutions, paving the way for measurable progress and innovation.

Adopting a Standard

The decision-making process to choose and agree to use a specific standard.

HL7 vs FHIR
IPS vs CA-PS vs PS-ON

Operationalizing a Standard

The practical process of implementing, integrating, and using the standard in day-to-day operations. Eg:

Data Sharing & Data Provenance (how it was created, who created it, and how it has changed over time)
Authorization & Governance

Why IS CA:FeX Important?

CA:FeX is transforming healthcare by addressing critical challenges in interoperability, patient empowerment, and system adaptability.

Explore how CA:FeX promotes vendor neutrality, gives patients control of their health data, and prepares organizations for the future of connected care.

Promotes Vendor Neutrality

Aligned with national connected care goals, CA:FeX allows for consistent interaction across different software platforms or software versions, enabling healthcare organizations to adopt technologies from various vendors without compatibility concerns.

Empowers Patients

CA:FeX enables patients to have greater control over their healthcare data. Through CA:FeX-based applications, patients could access their medical records, share information with different providers, and actively participate in their own healthcare management.

Future-proofs Your Systems

CA:FeX aligns with national initiatives in Connected Care, providing tools and technologies designed to be forward-compatible. It enables organizations to build solutions that not only address current challenges but also anticipate future needs. By investing in CA:FeX, users gain access to cutting-edge resources and a foundation that will integrate seamlessly with upcoming advancements.

CA:FeX is well designed

01.

Leverages International Standards

CA:FeX leverages international standards like FHIR and IHE profiles, ensuring compatibility with global healthcare interoperability efforts and allowing Canada to stay aligned with best practices.

02.

Enables Easy Adoption

A lightweight CA:FeX server can be stood up in a matter of days. This in turn provides a foundation for the development of innovative healthcare technologies, such as telehealth platforms, mobile health apps, and advanced analytics tools.

03.

Strengthens Security

Protecting patient data is always a top priority. CA:FeX enables robust encryption and authentication measures to ensure that sensitive information is securely exchanged.

04.

Read-Only Functionality

CA:FeX supports read-only access, ensuring that systems can be CA:FeX Conformant, and view standardized data through a common plug, without needing write permissions. This maintains consistency and protects the integrity of the data.

Technical Breakdown

Predictable Integration Patterns

CA:FeX promotes the use of FHIR RESTful exchange patterns, enabling consistent and predictable interactions between healthcare systems.

Privacy and Consent Management

Supports standard IHE security profiles with an mTLS for secure authentication, authorization, and data transmission. Enables compliance with Canadian privacy regulations and patient consent management

Known Set Of Operations

Standardizes FHIR data exchange operations and interactions, allowing developers to have clear requirements and streamline development processes.

Standardized Terminologies

Supports terminology services to ensure standardized use of codes and vocabularies (e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC, ICD-10).

Pluggable Architecture

CA:FeX allows for pluggable external validators to ensure data adheres to desired standards (eg - PS-CA, PS-ON, etc), while still leveraging the other benefits of CA:FeX.

Canadian-Specific Adaptation

Allows the implementation of FHIR-based exchanges within the unique landscape of the Canadian healthcare system, including linguistics, regulatory & privacy requirements

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How To Deploy CA:FeX

Standalone CA:FeX Server:

Fully independent server capable of ingesting data via HL7/FHIR standards.
Read & Write Support: Designed to handle both data retrieval and updates seamlessly.
Commercial Availability: Venuiti offers ready-to-deploy standalone CA:FeX servers for immediate implementation.

CA:FeX Facade:

Enables integration with existing vendors for seamless interoperability.
- Vendors must support CA:FeX or require an integration engine to translate their data (HL7/FHIR) into CA:FeX/FHIR standards.
Proven Success: Successfully integrated CA:FeX with major EHR systems, including CERNER.