Introduction

FTSnext (FHIR Transfer Services) is a software system that securely transfers healthcare data between clinical and research domains using FHIR ([Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources][fhir]) standards. While initially designed for the [SMITH][smith] architecture, its framework is adaptable for broader applications in any healthcare data sharing scenario.

Overview

At its core are three components — Clinical Domain Agent, Research Domain Agent, and Trust Center Agent — working together to maintain privacy by ensuring the Trust Center manages IDs without accessing medical content, while researchers receive only the data they need without the ability to link it back to clinical sources. This elegant design enables valuable research while robustly protecting patient privacy.