Findings from the pilot phase of an ONC research program informed an independent set of interoperability standards for genomic data sharing, three ONC officials wrote in a Nov. 28 agency blog post.
The ONC launched the Sync for Genes program in partnership with the National Institutes of Health to assess clinical standards for genomic data sharing. The goal of project is to streamline the exchange of genomic data across the healthcare continuum.
"Rapid advances in the genomics field and the lack of standardized approaches to data collection, coding and exchange have resulted in incompatible infrastructures and nomenclatures," officials wrote in the blog post. "A standards-based approach was needed to ensure that genetic data is interoperable among health IT systems and can be integrated easily with other clinical information."
Under the pilot phase, five sites — including Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and the FDA — tested clinical standards based on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources' genomics standards. The widely-used FHIR interoperability framework is developed by Health Level Seven International, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based independent nonprofit.
To conclude the pilot phase, the five participating groups submitted their findings to ONC, which compiled the feedback into a final report released in November. The feedback also informed a set of genomics specifications in the latest FHIR standard.
"The updated clinical genomics resources and profiles from HL7 FHIR, along with the program results, are important steps towards enabling genomic data from next generation sequencing laboratories to be shared in a consistent and interoperable manner with researchers, providers and patients," the blog post reads.
To access the ONC report, click here.