Better ODR
Operational Data Repository
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 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.
By creating a single, consistent source of operational truth, the ODR improves coordination, speeds up processes, and reduces duplication.
Patient demographics and relationships
Healthcare organisations, services, and facilities
Appointments, episodes, and encounters
Care teams, roles, and consent preferences
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.
This design turns the ODR into a living network of interconnected resources rather than a static database.
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
Harmonising data from diverse sources
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.
Transforming Slovenia’s eHealth system: a bold leap into the future
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.
Supporting collaboration and shared care
By enabling shared access to structured patient data, the Better Clinical Data Repository:
Simplifies care coordination across hospitals, community care and primary care
Reduces duplication of work, improving efficiency
Enables team-based, multidisciplinary approaches to patient care
The ODR and the CDR:
Better together
ODR
Operational Data Repository
Demographic, operational, workflow, and administrative data.
CDR
Clinical Data Repository
Persistent, standardised clinical data.
Together they form a complete longitudinal patient record that separates who, where, and when from what happened clinically, ensuring privacy by design.
The key benefits of 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.
Security and compliance Granular ABAC security, full audit trails, and GDPR alignment.
Innovation A platform for new applications that consume, enrich, and act on operational data.
Start building a vendor-neutral, openEHR-based clinical data repository with Better
