Release 5

This page is part of the FHIR Specification (v5.0.0: R5 - STU). This is the current published version in it's permanent home (it will always be available at this URL). For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions . Page versions: R5 R4B R4 R3 R2

8.6 Resource Organization - Content

Patient Administration icon

Work Group

Maturity Level: 5

Trial Use

Security 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. Includes companies, institutions, corporations, departments, community groups, healthcare practice groups, payer/insurer, etc.

8.6.1 Scope and Usage

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.

8.6.2 Boundaries and Relationships

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.

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.

8.6.3 References to this Resource

Structure

Name	Flags	Card.	Type	Description & Constraints
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	Σ C	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)
name	Σ C	0..1	string	Name used for the organization
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)
period		0..1	Period	Period during which the qualification is valid
issuer		0..1	Reference(Organization)	Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
Documentation for this format

See the Extensions for this resource

UML Diagram (Legend)

XML Template

<Organization xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> 
 <!-- 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>
  <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

{
  "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
    "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/> .


[ 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: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.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.

See R4 <--> R5 Conversion Maps (status = See Conversions Summary.)

Structure

Name	Flags	Card.	Type	Description & Constraints
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	Σ C	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)
name	Σ C	0..1	string	Name used for the organization
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)
period		0..1	Period	Period during which the qualification is valid
issuer		0..1	Reference(Organization)	Organization that regulates and issues the qualification
Documentation for this format

See the Extensions for this resource

UML Diagram (Legend)

XML Template

<Organization xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> 
 <!-- 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>
  <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

{
  "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
    "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/> .


[ 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: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.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.

See R4 <--> R5 Conversion Maps (status = See Conversions Summary.)

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

8.6.4.1 Terminology Bindings

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

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

8.6.4.2 Constraints

UniqueKey

Level

Location

Description

Expression

org-1

Rule

(base)

The organization SHALL at least have a name or an identifier, and possibly more than one

(identifier.count() + name.count()) > 0

org-3

Rule

Organization.contact

The telecom of an organization can never be of use 'home'

telecom.where(use = 'home').empty()

org-4

Rule

Organization.contact

The address of an organization can never be of use 'home'

address.where(use = 'home').empty()

8.6.5 Notes:

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.

8.6.6 Example Organization Hierarchy:

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.

8.6.7 Search Parameters

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