Modern healthcare runs not only on clinical data but also on a huge volume of operational data – the essential information that supports the delivery of care. The Better operational data repository (ODR) brings order to this complexity by using FHIR as the foundation for storing, linking and managing operational and demographic data across organisations.
What is an operational data repository?
An operational data repository is a central, standards-based store for administrative, demographic, and workflow data that complements a clinical data repository.
Where the clinical data repository (CDR) focuses on persistent clinical records, the ODR focuses on the operational aspects of care such as:
- Patient demographics and relationships
- Healthcare organisations, services, and facilities
- Appointments, episodes, and encounters
- Care teams, roles, and consent preferences
By creating a single, consistent source of operational truth, the ODR improves coordination, speeds up processes, and reduces duplication.
Ready to improve data quality and coordination?
Why FHIR is at the heart of the Better ODR
The Better operational data repository is built on HL7® FHIR® R4.
FHIR brings a modern, API‑driven way to represent and exchange operational data, ensuring interoperability at a national, regional and enterprise level.
Key advantages of FHIR
- Standardised resources for demographics, organisations, teams, and encounters
- Profiles and extensions allow adaptation for national or local needs (e.g., Slovenia-specific attributes)
- Dynamic linking between resources makes it possible to run sophisticated, multi-level queries
- Seamless integration with FHIR-enabled applications, APIs, and workflows
Industry analysts, including Gartner, consistently identify the Digital Health Platform as a cornerstone for transforming healthcare IT. It provides the architecture, tools and ecosystem that make the Postmodern EHR possible.
Harmonising data from diverse sources
In Slovenia, the national demographic and operational data repository built on Better ODR consolidates data from:
- The population registry
- The national health insurance fund
- Registries of healthcare organisations and professionals
- Other government sources
This repository links more than 10 million resources, updated daily, to provide a single, reliable source of truth for demographics and operations.
Through the FHIR APIs, these resources can be enriched and updated in real time by multiple applications, turning the ODR into a collaborative data environment.
Learn from Slovenia’s national experience
Key components of the Better ODR
- Master record of patient and person
Centralises and standardises identity and demographic data. - Master record of providers and services
Structured, searchable records of healthcare organisations, services, and locations. - Administrative and encounter data
Includes appointments, episodes, encounters, and healthcare coverage. - Terminology and coding services
FHIR terminology resources ensure accurate use of codes and classifications.
Advanced FHIR features
- Interconnected resources: Queries can pull related data (e.g., patient, their GP, and GP’s organisation) in one request using FHIR’s _include and _revInclude.
- Event-driven architecture: Systems can subscribe to events such as a new encounter or an update to a care team.
- Attribute-based access control (ABAC): Ensures secure, role-based access to sensitive operational data.
- HL7 ADT integration: ADT messages are automatically converted to FHIR for consistency.
The ODR and the CDR: better together
The ODR and CDR complement each other:
- ODR: Demographic, operational, workflow, and administrative data (FHIR).
- CDR: Persistent, standardised clinical data (openEHR).
Together they form a complete longitudinal patient record that separates who, where, and when from what happened clinically, ensuring privacy by design.
Benefits of the Better operational data repository
- Data quality and consistency: A single, up-to-date source of operational truth.
- Improved workflows: Streamlined referrals, scheduling, and care coordination.
- Security and compliance: Granular ABAC security, full audit trails, and GDPR alignment.
- Scalable and flexible: National-scale performance with support for profiles and extensions.
- Innovation: A platform for new applications that consume, enrich, and act on operational data.
Harness the power of FHIR for your organisation
Trusted at national scale
Slovenia’s Central Registry of Patient Data (CRPD)
Ready to begin your transformation?
Talk to our team about how a Postmodern EHR approach can help you create a more flexible, open and patient-centred healthcare IT environment.
