Clinical Decision Support Tools and Examples: A Builder's Guide
What clinical decision support tools exist, how they work in Epic, Oracle Health and OpenEMR, why alert fatigue happens, and how to build CDS with CDS Hooks, FHIR and CQL.
Medblocks Team's Articles
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Prior Authorization APIs: Build vs. Buy for Health Plans
Build vs. buy for the CMS-0057-F prior authorization API. What each path costs in people and time, what products don’t cover, and which we recommend.
Medblocks x SPARSH Hospitals: Building an Analytics Pipeline on Iceberg and Trino
150 GB of hospital data was enough to make Postgres hang for 50 minutes. Here’s how we rebuilt SPARSH’s analytics pipeline to handle it.
HTI-4 Final Rule: Certifying CRD, DTR and PAS in Your EHR
A developer guide to the HTI-4 final rule, covering the (g)(31) to (g)(33) criteria, SVAP versions, Real World Testing and a certification checklist.
How to Implement FHIR Prior Authorization: CRD, DTR, and PAS
A technical reference for the FHIR prior authorization APIs. What CRD, DTR, and PAS each exchange, how one hands off to the next, and the authentication, versioning, performance, and testing rules underneath them.
What Is Prior Authorization? What Is Changing in 2027?
What prior authorization is, why the process has been so slow, and what CMS-0057-F and HTI-4 require health plans to fix by January 2027.
Epic EHR: A Complete Guide to Architecture, FHIR APIs, and Integration
How Epic EHR works under the hood: the MUMPS database, free FHIR APIs, integration paths, implementation costs, and why production access depends on a hospital.
OpenEMR: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Popular Open-Source EHR
A practical guide to the world's most popular open-source EHR, its architecture, FHIR APIs, Docker setup, and where it can fit well.
SMART on FHIR: How It Works and How to Build Apps That Launch Inside EHRs
Learn how SMART on FHIR connects apps to EHRs using FHIR APIs and OAuth2. Covers launch flows, scopes, Epic and Cerner setup, SMART v2, and building your first app.
The 21st Century Cures Act in 2026: Information Blocking, Exceptions, and What's Now Being Enforced
What the 21st Century Cures Act requires, who counts as an actor, the information blocking exceptions and penalties, and where enforcement stands in 2026.
What is HL7? Understanding the Standard Behind Healthcare Data Exchange
This article details HL7's role in healthcare data exchange since 1987. It explores the standards family including legacy v2, CDA, and modern FHIR APIs highlighting their necessity for interoperability, regulatory compliance, and system integration.
What Is FHIR? The Complete Developer Guide [2026, R4]
The complete guide to FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources). Learn FHIR resources, R4, Profiles and Implementation Guides, SMART on FHIR, HL7 history, and how to start.
EHR Systems Explained: What They Are, How They Work, and How to Choose the Right One
Learn how EHR systems work, compare EHR vs EMR, explore FHIR interoperability, implementation costs, architecture, and key features in this complete guide.