HL7 OID and FHIR URI/Resource issues - need for formal governance processes

I second to add the review of OIDs request process in our next HL7 meeting agenda on November 6th.

At one point we had secretariate support to help with the review and ensure we'd checked that registrations were being submitted correctly - initially managed by CIHI through HL7 Canada, then through Infoway with the Standards Collaborative. Wendy Huang used to manage it. Does anyone know if that service is still being provided or, if not, whether it's an option to start it up again? Jurisdictional review and sign-off on HL7 Calls is still necessary and appropriate. However having a person who's funded part time to review proposals and make sure all the ducks are in a row is important to ensure proper quality on a process that is otherwise managed only by volunteers.

Should we add this topic to the agenda for the next HL7 Canada Community call on November 6th to discuss how to improve the OID/URI governance process?

Hi,

Just wanted to let people know I replied to this same message Joel posted in the FHIR Implementers group.

This is really a big issue for the process - there is no vetting of submissions by jurisdictions prior to submission to HL7 Registry.

We would ask that the process be revised to include jurisdictional reviews prior to submitting to HL7 registry.

(link to response thread: infocentral.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/forum/266-fhir-implementations/2502-governance-of-fhir-uris-and-resources )

Randy

Hi Randy,

We are currently investigating the duplicated OIDs and are working with the HL7 Registry team to retire the duplicated OIDS once the investigation is completed.

However, I think this is a good time to recap the "OID Registration" process to prevent any future duplication.

The flow chart which is available on the Infocentral OIDs Page has some important steps for the Requestor:

1. Obtain OID request form
2. Verify if OID has been registered - this can be done by visiting - www.hl7.org/oid/index.cfm
3. Use existing OID if found
4. Complete request form and submit

The key step above is the verification process to prevent any issues.

Echoing Iryna's comment there are different types of OIDs.

Type 3: External Group functioning as a Registration Authority. this is used for organizations who which to create their own trees of OIDS for their use. All further additions to this segment of numbers is the responsibility of the "Responsible body" at the time of registration under the ISO 9834 series of principles.

Type 4: This OID is used for namspaces for identifiers that are public such as health card numbers.

Given these definitions, it seems like the descriptions for these OIDs when registerd wasn't clear and some of them may not be duplicates.

This again highlights the fact that at the time of the request, a clear understanding of what type of OID is required and in what context it is being requested.

Please take a moment to review the types of OIDs : wiki.hl7.org/index.php?title=HL7_OID_Registry_Frequently_Asked_Questions for any future requests.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Randy.

We arrived at the same conclusion for the three Ontario college registration/license numbers below as well.
It is important to highlight that duplicate OIDs can cause significant integration complexity and costs, which we have learned from past experiences. We stress that future OID creation/registrations should check against existing registered OIDs. In the past, prior to registering OIDs with Infoway/HL7, we have published the list of incoming OIDs on the InfoCentral forum, to ensure that the community can respond or identify any potential conflicts.

College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.239.13.7 (created 2017-01-12)
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.7884 (created 2018-04-23)

College of Dietitians of Ontario
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.239.13.9 (created 2015-03-14)
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.8028 (created 2018-07-12)

College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.239.13.6 (created 2017-01-12)
www.hl7.org/OID/index.cfm?Comp_OID=2.16.840.1.113883.3.8132 (created 2018-09-28)

Ken Sinn
Senior Standards Analyst, eHealth Standards
Architecture and Standards Division
eHealth Ontario