FHIR Software Development Skill

A comprehensive Claude Code skill for building FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) software systems with expert guidance on implementation, validation, and healthcare data exchange.

Overview

This skill provides specialized assistance for FHIR development across multiple versions (R4, R4B, R5) and programming languages. It includes expert knowledge of:

FHIR resource modeling and validation
Implementation Guide (IG) development
FHIR server and client implementation
SMART on FHIR integration
Terminology services and validation
Healthcare API development

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when working on:

FHIR API Development: Building REST APIs that comply with FHIR specifications
Healthcare Applications: Apps that need to process or exchange FHIR resources
FHIR Servers/Clients: Implementing FHIR-compliant servers or client applications
Data Validation: Validating resources against FHIR profiles and Implementation Guides
SMART on FHIR Apps: Healthcare applications using SMART launch workflows
Terminology Integration: Working with ValueSets, CodeSystems, and terminology services
Profile Development: Creating custom FHIR profiles and Implementation Guides
IG Authoring with FSH: Writing FHIR Shorthand (.fsh) files, configuring SUSHI, and converting FHIR JSON to FSH with GoFSH

Features

Core Capabilities

Package Management: Guidance on using FHIR package loaders and managing local package caches
Resource Modeling: Best practices for modeling FHIR resources in TypeScript, Python, and other languages
Server Implementation: Patterns for FastAPI, Express, and other frameworks
Search Implementation: FHIR search parameter processing and query parsing
Validation: Profile validation, terminology validation, and constraint checking
SMART on FHIR: OAuth 2.0 workflows and app launch sequences
Testing: Unit testing patterns and integration testing for FHIR APIs

Language Support

TypeScript/Node.js: Express, FHIR TypeScript types, package loaders
Python: FastAPI, Pydantic, fhir.resources library
Support for other languages with FHIR libraries

FHIR Versions

FHIR R4 (4.0.1)
FHIR R4B
FHIR R5
Implementation Guide compatibility

Installation

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI or VS Code extension installed

CLI

Launch Claude Code in your terminal:
```
claude
```

Add the marketplace:

/plugin marketplace add TopologyHealth/ClaudeFHIRSkill

Install the skill:

/plugin install fhir-developer-skills@ClaudeFHIRSkill

VS Code

Click / in the Claude Code chat to open the command menu
Select Manage Plugins
Click Marketplaces
Enter the repository URL: https://github.com/TopologyHealth/ClaudeFHIRSkill
Click Install
The skill will appear in your Plugins list

Manual

Add this skill to your Claude Code environment by placing the SKILL.md file in your project's .claude/skills/ directory or your global skills directory.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Building a FHIR Server Endpoint

I need to create a FHIR Patient endpoint in Python using FastAPI

The skill will provide guidance on:

Setting up FastAPI with fhir.resources
Implementing CRUD operations
Validation patterns
Error handling with OperationOutcome

Example 2: Validating Against a Profile

How do I validate a Patient resource against the US Core Patient profile?

The skill will guide you through:

Loading the US Core package
Setting up profile validation
Checking must-support elements
Terminology binding validation

Example 3: SMART on FHIR Integration

I need to implement SMART on FHIR authorization for my app

The skill provides:

OAuth 2.0 configuration
Authorization code flow implementation
Token exchange patterns
Scope management

Key Patterns Covered

Package/Specification Management: Local caching, package resolution, document indexing
Resource Modeling: Type-safe models with validation
Search Implementation: Parameter parsing, query building, _include/_revinclude
Batch/Transaction Processing: Bundle handling with proper transaction semantics
Error Handling: Proper OperationOutcome generation
Testing: Unit and integration testing patterns

Resources Referenced

FHIR Specification
Implementation Guide Registry
FHIR Package Registry
US Core Implementation Guide
SMART on FHIR Specification

Contributing

Contributions to improve this skill are welcome! Please ensure any additions:

fhir-developer-skills

Popularity

What's Inside

README