FHIR is great, but it’s only part of the solution. Here’s where it falls short and how custom extensions can fill the gaps.

FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) provides the foundation for health data exchange. By defining common “resources” like Patients, Observations, and Medications, FHIR enables EHRs, apps, and APIs to communicate without building endless point-to-point integrations. It’s the backbone behind ONC certification and patient access requirements under the 21st Century Cures Act.

However, FHIR alone doesn’t solve every challenge. Profiles vary, optional fields often go unused, and many providers still rely on HL7v2 or C-CDA formats. The result is data gaps, misaligned implementations, and what looks like interoperability, but isn’t always usable in practice.

Why it matters

Clinical trials, registries, and care teams need more than the core FHIR resources. They require patient-reported outcomes, disease-specific data, consent management, and cross-system workflows. Without extensions, these use cases remain difficult or impossible to implement.

Learn how FHIR-native workspaces can help

Darena Health provides fully managed FHIR-first workspaces designed to bridge these gaps. Features include:

· FHIR server with secure access, bulk export, and advanced queries

· Sample data for app development and testing

· Interoperability layer supporting HL7v2, C-CDA, and custom formats

· Custom workflows for patient-mediated data sharing, consent, and registry pipelines

· AI-ready capabilities for analytics and decision support

Darena’s workspaces combine standards alignment with flexibility. Certified modules ((g)(9), (g)(10), (b)(10), (b)(11), (c)(1–4)) support HTI-1 and MIPS reporting, while the platform handles infrastructure, compliance, and integration. Teams can focus on building applications and programs that deliver meaningful healthcare outcomes.

Visit our Custom FHIR Solutions page to learn more about the features and flexibility that working with Darena’s workspaces affords.