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8.6 Resource Organization - Content

Patient Administration icon Work GroupMaturity Level: 5 Trial UseSecurity Category: Business Compartments: No defined compartments

A formally or informally recognized grouping of people or organizations formed for the purpose of achieving some form of collective action.

This resource may be used in a shared registry of contact and other information for various organizations or it can be used merely as a support for other resources that need to reference organizations, perhaps as a document, message or as a contained resource. If using a registry approach, it's entirely possible for multiple registries to exist, each dealing with different types or levels of organization.

Examples of Organizations include companies, institutions, corporations, departments, community groups, healthcare practice groups, payer/insurer, etc.

The Organization resource is used for collections of people that have come together to achieve an objective. The Group resource is used to identify a collection of people (or animals, devices, etc.) that are gathered for the purpose of analysis or acting upon, but are not expected to act themselves.

In the context of service provision, the Organization provides the services, the HealthcareService describes the services provided, and the Location describes the place where the service(s) are offered/available.

The Organization resource often exists as a hierarchy of organization resources, using the part-of property to provide the association of the child to its parent organization.
This organizational hierarchy helps communicate the conceptual structure, whereas the Location resource provides the physical representation of the hierarchy.
The linkage between Organization and Location is from each point in the location hierarchy to the appropriate level in the Organization hierarchy. These links don't all have to be to the top level Organization.
When populating the organization and location hierarchies there is often not a clear distinction between these 2, however to assist in making the decision, Locations are always used for recording where a service occurs, and hence where encounters and observations are associated. The Organization property on these resources might not be the location where the service took place.

OrganizationAffiliation allows you to specify details about organization affiliations that are more complex than simple partOf relationships, such as organizations that are separate legal entities, or have other non-hierarchical relationships. No ownership is implied via OrganizationAffiliation. A single OrganizationAffiliation represents the details of a single relationship between a single pair of Organizations, including the period during which the relationship is active. Current network members can be discovered by searching for OrganizationAffiliations, and historic data can be retained without overhead and still be accessible when searching.

As noted in the Event pattern, a Location represents where a service is performed. An Organization can represent who performed the service.

Structure

NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraintsdoco
.. Organization TU DomainResource A grouping of people or organizations with a common purpose
+ Rule: The organization SHALL at least have a name or an identifier, and possibly more than one

Elements defined in Ancestors: id, meta, implicitRules, language, text, contained, extension, modifierExtension
... identifier ΣC 0..* Identifier Identifies this organization across multiple systems

... active ?!Σ 0..1 boolean Whether the organization's record is still in active use
... type Σ 0..* CodeableConcept Kind of organization
Binding: Organization Type (Example)

... alias 0..* string A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past

... description Σ 0..1 markdown Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
... contact C 0..* ExtendedContactDetail Official contact details for the Organization
+ Rule: The telecom of an organization can never be of use 'home'
+ Rule: The address of an organization can never be of use 'home'

... partOf Σ 0..1 Reference(Organization) The organization of which this organization forms a part
... endpoint 0..* Reference(Endpoint) Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization

... qualification 0..* BackboneElement Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care

.... identifier 0..* Identifier An identifier for this qualification for the organization

.... code 1..1 CodeableConcept Coded representation of the qualification
Binding: Qualification (Example)
.... status 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/progress of the qualification
Binding: Qualification Status (Preferred)
.... period 0..1 Period Period during which the qualification is valid
.... issuer 0..1 Reference(Organization) Organization that regulates and issues the qualification

doco Documentation for this format icon

See the Extensions for this resource

UML Diagram (Legend)

Organization (DomainResource)Identifier for the organization that is used to identify the organization across multiple disparate systemsidentifier : Identifier [0..*] « This element has or is affected by some invariantsC »Whether the organization's record is still in active use (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)active : boolean [0..1]The kind(s) of organization that this istype : CodeableConcept [0..*] « null (Strength=Example)OrganizationType?? »A name associated with the organizationname : string [0..1] « This element has or is affected by some invariantsC »A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the pastalias : string [0..*]Description of the organization, which helps provide additional general context on the organization to ensure that the correct organization is selecteddescription : markdown [0..1]The contact details of communication devices available relevant to the specific Organization. This can include addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, mobile numbers, email addresses and web sitescontact : ExtendedContactDetail [0..*]The organization of which this organization forms a partpartOf : Reference [0..1] « Organization »Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organizationendpoint : Reference [0..*] « Endpoint »QualificationAn identifier allocated to this qualification for this organizationidentifier : Identifier [0..*]Coded representation of the qualificationcode : CodeableConcept [1..1] « null (Strength=Example)Qualification?? »Qualifications often take time to attain and might be tracked during this time, and completed qualifications might not always be valid. This status concept has some overlap with period and both should be considered together. Refer to the descriptions of the codes for how the period should be interpreted. If a qualification is revoked or otherwise cancelled, then the period is likely to be ignored, and might be related to when it was activestatus : CodeableConcept [0..1] « null (Strength=Preferred)QualificationStatus? »Period during which the qualification is validperiod : Period [0..1]Organization that regulates and issues the qualificationissuer : Reference [0..1] « Organization »The official certifications, accreditations, training, designations and licenses that authorize and/or otherwise endorse the provision of care by the organization. For example, an approval to provide a type of services issued by a certifying body (such as the US Joint Commission) to an organizationqualification[0..*]

XML Template

<Organization xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> doco
 <!-- from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language -->
 <!-- from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension -->
 <identifier><!-- I 0..* Identifier Identifies this organization  across multiple systems --></identifier>
 <active value="[boolean]"/><!-- 0..1 Whether the organization's record is still in active use -->
 <type><!-- 0..* CodeableConcept Kind of organization --></type>
 <name value="[string]"/><!-- I 0..1 Name used for the organization -->
 <alias value="[string]"/><!-- 0..* A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past -->
 <description value="[markdown]"/><!-- 0..1 Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name -->
 <contact><!-- 0..* ExtendedContactDetail Official contact details for the Organization --></contact>
 <partOf><!-- 0..1 Reference(Organization) The organization of which this organization forms a part --></partOf>
 <endpoint><!-- 0..* Reference(Endpoint) Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization --></endpoint>
 <qualification>  <!-- 0..* Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care -->
  <identifier><!-- 0..* Identifier An identifier for this qualification for the organization --></identifier>
  <code><!-- 1..1 CodeableConcept Coded representation of the qualification --></code>
  <status><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/progress of the qualification --></status>
  <period><!-- 0..1 Period Period during which the qualification is valid --></period>
  <issuer><!-- 0..1 Reference(Organization) Organization that regulates and issues the qualification --></issuer>
 </qualification>
</Organization>

JSON Template

{doco
  "resourceType" : "Organization",
  // from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language
  // from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension
  "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // I Identifies this organization  across multiple systems
  "active" : <boolean>, // Whether the organization's record is still in active use
  "type" : [{ CodeableConcept }], // Kind of organization
  "name" : "<string>", // I Name used for the organization
  "alias" : ["<string>"], // A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past
  "description" : "<markdown>", // Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
  "contact" : [{ ExtendedContactDetail }], // Official contact details for the Organization
  "partOf" : { Reference(Organization) }, // The organization of which this organization forms a part
  "endpoint" : [{ Reference(Endpoint) }], // Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization
  "qualification" : [{ // Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care
    "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // An identifier for this qualification for the organization
    "code" : { CodeableConcept }, // R!  Coded representation of the qualification
    "status" : { CodeableConcept }, // Status/progress of the qualification
    "period" : { Period }, // Period during which the qualification is valid
    "issuer" : { Reference(Organization) } // Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
  }]
}

Turtle Template

@prefix fhir: <http://hl7.org/fhir/> .doco


[ a fhir:Organization;
  fhir:nodeRole fhir:treeRoot; # if this is the parser root

  # from Resource: .id, .meta, .implicitRules, and .language
  # from DomainResource: .text, .contained, .extension, and .modifierExtension
  fhir:identifier  ( [ Identifier ] ... ) ; # 0..* I Identifies this organization  across multiple systems
  fhir:active [ boolean ] ; # 0..1 Whether the organization's record is still in active use
  fhir:type  ( [ CodeableConcept ] ... ) ; # 0..* Kind of organization
  fhir:name [ string ] ; # 0..1 I Name used for the organization
  fhir:alias  ( [ string ] ... ) ; # 0..* A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past
  fhir:description [ markdown ] ; # 0..1 Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
  fhir:contact  ( [ ExtendedContactDetail ] ... ) ; # 0..* Official contact details for the Organization
  fhir:partOf [ Reference(Organization) ] ; # 0..1 The organization of which this organization forms a part
  fhir:endpoint  ( [ Reference(Endpoint) ] ... ) ; # 0..* Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization
  fhir:qualification ( [ # 0..* Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care
    fhir:identifier  ( [ Identifier ] ... ) ; # 0..* An identifier for this qualification for the organization
    fhir:code [ CodeableConcept ] ; # 1..1 Coded representation of the qualification
    fhir:status [ CodeableConcept ] ; # 0..1 Status/progress of the qualification
    fhir:period [ Period ] ; # 0..1 Period during which the qualification is valid
    fhir:issuer [ Reference(Organization) ] ; # 0..1 Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
  ] ... ) ;
]

Changes from both R4 and R4B

Organization
Organization.description
  • Added Element
Organization.contact
  • Type changed from BackboneElement to ExtendedContactDetail
Organization.qualification
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.identifier
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.code
  • Added Mandatory Element
Organization.qualification.status
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.period
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.issuer
  • Added Element
Organization.telecom
  • Deleted (-> Use contact.telecom to provide context of use)
Organization.address
  • Deleted (-> Use contact.address to provide context of use)
Organization.contact.purpose
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.purpose)
Organization.contact.name
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.name)
Organization.contact.telecom
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.telecom)
Organization.contact.address
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.address)

See the Full Difference for further information

This analysis is available for R4 as XML or JSON and for R4B as XML or JSON.

Structure

NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraintsdoco
.. Organization TU DomainResource A grouping of people or organizations with a common purpose
+ Rule: The organization SHALL at least have a name or an identifier, and possibly more than one

Elements defined in Ancestors: id, meta, implicitRules, language, text, contained, extension, modifierExtension
... identifier ΣC 0..* Identifier Identifies this organization across multiple systems

... active ?!Σ 0..1 boolean Whether the organization's record is still in active use
... type Σ 0..* CodeableConcept Kind of organization
Binding: Organization Type (Example)

... alias 0..* string A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past

... description Σ 0..1 markdown Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
... contact C 0..* ExtendedContactDetail Official contact details for the Organization
+ Rule: The telecom of an organization can never be of use 'home'
+ Rule: The address of an organization can never be of use 'home'

... partOf Σ 0..1 Reference(Organization) The organization of which this organization forms a part
... endpoint 0..* Reference(Endpoint) Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization

... qualification 0..* BackboneElement Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care

.... identifier 0..* Identifier An identifier for this qualification for the organization

.... code 1..1 CodeableConcept Coded representation of the qualification
Binding: Qualification (Example)
.... status 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/progress of the qualification
Binding: Qualification Status (Preferred)
.... period 0..1 Period Period during which the qualification is valid
.... issuer 0..1 Reference(Organization) Organization that regulates and issues the qualification

doco Documentation for this format icon

See the Extensions for this resource

UML Diagram (Legend)

Organization (DomainResource)Identifier for the organization that is used to identify the organization across multiple disparate systemsidentifier : Identifier [0..*] « This element has or is affected by some invariantsC »Whether the organization's record is still in active use (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)active : boolean [0..1]The kind(s) of organization that this istype : CodeableConcept [0..*] « null (Strength=Example)OrganizationType?? »A name associated with the organizationname : string [0..1] « This element has or is affected by some invariantsC »A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the pastalias : string [0..*]Description of the organization, which helps provide additional general context on the organization to ensure that the correct organization is selecteddescription : markdown [0..1]The contact details of communication devices available relevant to the specific Organization. This can include addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, mobile numbers, email addresses and web sitescontact : ExtendedContactDetail [0..*]The organization of which this organization forms a partpartOf : Reference [0..1] « Organization »Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organizationendpoint : Reference [0..*] « Endpoint »QualificationAn identifier allocated to this qualification for this organizationidentifier : Identifier [0..*]Coded representation of the qualificationcode : CodeableConcept [1..1] « null (Strength=Example)Qualification?? »Qualifications often take time to attain and might be tracked during this time, and completed qualifications might not always be valid. This status concept has some overlap with period and both should be considered together. Refer to the descriptions of the codes for how the period should be interpreted. If a qualification is revoked or otherwise cancelled, then the period is likely to be ignored, and might be related to when it was activestatus : CodeableConcept [0..1] « null (Strength=Preferred)QualificationStatus? »Period during which the qualification is validperiod : Period [0..1]Organization that regulates and issues the qualificationissuer : Reference [0..1] « Organization »The official certifications, accreditations, training, designations and licenses that authorize and/or otherwise endorse the provision of care by the organization. For example, an approval to provide a type of services issued by a certifying body (such as the US Joint Commission) to an organizationqualification[0..*]

XML Template

<Organization xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> doco
 <!-- from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language -->
 <!-- from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension -->
 <identifier><!-- I 0..* Identifier Identifies this organization  across multiple systems --></identifier>
 <active value="[boolean]"/><!-- 0..1 Whether the organization's record is still in active use -->
 <type><!-- 0..* CodeableConcept Kind of organization --></type>
 <name value="[string]"/><!-- I 0..1 Name used for the organization -->
 <alias value="[string]"/><!-- 0..* A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past -->
 <description value="[markdown]"/><!-- 0..1 Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name -->
 <contact><!-- 0..* ExtendedContactDetail Official contact details for the Organization --></contact>
 <partOf><!-- 0..1 Reference(Organization) The organization of which this organization forms a part --></partOf>
 <endpoint><!-- 0..* Reference(Endpoint) Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization --></endpoint>
 <qualification>  <!-- 0..* Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care -->
  <identifier><!-- 0..* Identifier An identifier for this qualification for the organization --></identifier>
  <code><!-- 1..1 CodeableConcept Coded representation of the qualification --></code>
  <status><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/progress of the qualification --></status>
  <period><!-- 0..1 Period Period during which the qualification is valid --></period>
  <issuer><!-- 0..1 Reference(Organization) Organization that regulates and issues the qualification --></issuer>
 </qualification>
</Organization>

JSON Template

{doco
  "resourceType" : "Organization",
  // from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language
  // from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension
  "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // I Identifies this organization  across multiple systems
  "active" : <boolean>, // Whether the organization's record is still in active use
  "type" : [{ CodeableConcept }], // Kind of organization
  "name" : "<string>", // I Name used for the organization
  "alias" : ["<string>"], // A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past
  "description" : "<markdown>", // Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
  "contact" : [{ ExtendedContactDetail }], // Official contact details for the Organization
  "partOf" : { Reference(Organization) }, // The organization of which this organization forms a part
  "endpoint" : [{ Reference(Endpoint) }], // Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization
  "qualification" : [{ // Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care
    "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // An identifier for this qualification for the organization
    "code" : { CodeableConcept }, // R!  Coded representation of the qualification
    "status" : { CodeableConcept }, // Status/progress of the qualification
    "period" : { Period }, // Period during which the qualification is valid
    "issuer" : { Reference(Organization) } // Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
  }]
}

Turtle Template

@prefix fhir: <http://hl7.org/fhir/> .doco


[ a fhir:Organization;
  fhir:nodeRole fhir:treeRoot; # if this is the parser root

  # from Resource: .id, .meta, .implicitRules, and .language
  # from DomainResource: .text, .contained, .extension, and .modifierExtension
  fhir:identifier  ( [ Identifier ] ... ) ; # 0..* I Identifies this organization  across multiple systems
  fhir:active [ boolean ] ; # 0..1 Whether the organization's record is still in active use
  fhir:type  ( [ CodeableConcept ] ... ) ; # 0..* Kind of organization
  fhir:name [ string ] ; # 0..1 I Name used for the organization
  fhir:alias  ( [ string ] ... ) ; # 0..* A list of alternate names that the organization is known as, or was known as in the past
  fhir:description [ markdown ] ; # 0..1 Additional details about the Organization that could be displayed as further information to identify the Organization beyond its name
  fhir:contact  ( [ ExtendedContactDetail ] ... ) ; # 0..* Official contact details for the Organization
  fhir:partOf [ Reference(Organization) ] ; # 0..1 The organization of which this organization forms a part
  fhir:endpoint  ( [ Reference(Endpoint) ] ... ) ; # 0..* Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization
  fhir:qualification ( [ # 0..* Qualifications, certifications, accreditations, licenses, training, etc. pertaining to the provision of care
    fhir:identifier  ( [ Identifier ] ... ) ; # 0..* An identifier for this qualification for the organization
    fhir:code [ CodeableConcept ] ; # 1..1 Coded representation of the qualification
    fhir:status [ CodeableConcept ] ; # 0..1 Status/progress of the qualification
    fhir:period [ Period ] ; # 0..1 Period during which the qualification is valid
    fhir:issuer [ Reference(Organization) ] ; # 0..1 Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
  ] ... ) ;
]

Changes from both R4 and R4B

Organization
Organization.description
  • Added Element
Organization.contact
  • Type changed from BackboneElement to ExtendedContactDetail
Organization.qualification
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.identifier
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.code
  • Added Mandatory Element
Organization.qualification.status
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.period
  • Added Element
Organization.qualification.issuer
  • Added Element
Organization.telecom
  • Deleted (-> Use contact.telecom to provide context of use)
Organization.address
  • Deleted (-> Use contact.address to provide context of use)
Organization.contact.purpose
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.purpose)
Organization.contact.name
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.name)
Organization.contact.telecom
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.telecom)
Organization.contact.address
  • Deleted (-> Organization.contact.address)

See the Full Difference for further information

This analysis is available for R4 as XML or JSON and for R4B as XML or JSON.

 

Additional definitions: Master Definition XML + JSON, XML Schema/Schematron + JSON Schema, ShEx (for Turtle) + see the extensions, the spreadsheet version & the dependency analysis

Path ValueSet Type Documentation
Organization.type OrganizationType Example

This example value set defines a set of codes that can be used to indicate a type of organization.

Organization.qualification.code Example
Organization.qualification.status QualificationStatus Preferred

Set of statuses that apply to qualifications of practitioners and organizations

UniqueKeyLevelLocationDescriptionExpression
img org-1Rule (base)The organization SHALL at least have a name or an identifier, and possibly more than one(identifier.count() + name.count()) > 0
img org-3Rule Organization.contactThe telecom of an organization can never be of use 'home'telecom.where(use = 'home').empty()
img org-4Rule Organization.contactThe address of an organization can never be of use 'home'address.where(use = 'home').empty()

  • There are two places for contact information: one on Organization itself and zero or more using the ContactEntity construct. The first one is to be used for the generic, public organization point of contact. The ContactEntity is to be used for reaching a person or party that has been designated by the organization to be contacted for a specific purpose or goal.

An example organization hierarchy should help give some guidance as to one example of how a location hierarchy could look within a fictitious Medical Organization.
(The nesting here would be the "part-of" structure of the Organization resource)

Burgers University Medical Center
    Eastern Services (prov)
        Emergency Dept
        Oncology Dept
            Nuclear Medicine Research Trials (edu)
        Maternity Ward
        Childrens Ward
        Day Procedures Unit
    Mobile Services (Ambulance)
    Research Center (edu)
        Nuclear Medicine  (edu)
    Burgers University (edu)
        Nuclear Medicine Faculty (edu)
        Undergraduate Medicine (edu)
        ...
	

Note that physical structures of this hierarchy are not present - these are defined by a Location hierarchy.

Search parameters for this resource. See also the full list of search parameters for this resource, and check the Extensions registry for search parameters on extensions related to this resource. The common parameters also apply. See Searching for more information about searching in REST, messaging, and services.

Name Type Description Expression In Common
active token Is the Organization record active Organization.active
address string A server defined search that may match any of the string fields in the Address, including line, city, district, state, country, postalCode, and/or text Organization.contact.address
address-city string A city specified in an address Organization.contact.address.city
address-country string A country specified in an address Organization.contact.address.country
address-postalcode string A postal code specified in an address Organization.contact.address.postalCode
address-state string A state specified in an address Organization.contact.address.state
address-use token A use code specified in an address Organization.contact.address.use
endpoint reference Technical endpoints providing access to services operated for the organization Organization.endpoint
(Endpoint)
identifier token Any identifier for the organization (not the accreditation issuer's identifier) Organization.identifier | Organization.qualification.identifier
name string A portion of the organization's name or alias Organization.name | Organization.alias
partof reference An organization of which this organization forms a part Organization.partOf
(Organization)
phonetic string A portion of the organization's name using some kind of phonetic matching algorithm Organization.name
type token A code for the type of organization Organization.type