Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Selects Edifecs to Drive FHIR Adoption

Edifecs’ module will be offered to BCBS companies to support rapid FHIR deployment

BELLEVUE, Wash. – September 5, 2018 – Edifecs, Inc., a global health information technology solutions company, today announced it has been selected by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) to help drive adoption of HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). Edifecs’ user-friendly Edifecs XEngine Server Module for FHIR will be offered to Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies to support the rapid deployment of HL7 FHIR data standards with minimal training required.

BCBSA has set up a sandbox testing environment with the Edifecs XEngine Server Module for FHIR serving as a back-end for all API calls, allowing BCBSA to explore multiple use cases to support and drive adoption of FHIR-based services. FHIR is expected to accelerate initiatives for value-based care and healthcare transformation. Coupled with the right technology, FHIR standards can resolve many of the healthcare industry’s critical business issues, including care coordination, quality measures and sharing attachments, or electronic versions of medical documentation.

“As we seek to drive more coordinated, higher quality and affordable health care across the country, FHIR adoption is a key component for BCBS companies,” said David Corso, Executive Director, PlanConnexion®, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. “Many BCBS companies are shifting toward value-based models that put patients at the center of care. FHIR standards advance interoperability of both clinical and financial data, and help BCBS companies to turn this data into actionable intelligence to enhance the customer experience.”

“Implementing FHIR standards will help bridge connections, increase partnerships, improve outcomes and reduce costs for BCBS companies and their information trading partners,” said Sunny Singh, president and CEO of Edifecs. “We believe FHIR is the future of interoperability, as it enables data from multiple sources to come together as actionable intelligence and truly enhances the customer experience. We are thrilled to work with Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to increase its future readiness.”

The Edifecs XEngine Server Module for FHIR includes out-of-box use cases for BCBS companies to test with BCBSA. The solution eliminates the use of custom interfaces, which significantly reduces development time, analysis and design costs. Edifecs’ collaboration with BCBSA extends an ongoing relationship that was first established in 2003. For more than 15 years, Edifecs has supported transitions and data integration needs for BCBS companies, including the transitions to HIPAA 5010 and NCPDP.

Edifecs is a leader in innovation and has a history of driving new standards to improve administrative efficiency, compliance and healthcare digital interoperability. The Edifecs XEngine Server Module for FHIR will serve to jumpstart FHIR development with its pre-built maps between HIPAA, HL7, CCD industry standards and FHIR resources.