Encounter

Summary

Encounters represent interactions between a patient and a healthcare provider.

At its core, it represents a documented contact between a patient and healthcare provider, serving as a container for clinical events and activities.

Key Purpose

• Document and track patient-provider interactions
• Establish context for clinical activities and observations
• Support billing and administrative workflows
• Enable care coordination across different settings
• Maintain chronological record of patient care events

Core Relationships

CARE Concept	FHIR Resource	Purpose
Patient	Patient	Represents the individual receiving care
Healthcare Provider	Practitioner	Represents the individual providing care
Provider Role	PractitionerRole	Defines the provider's role and association with a facility
Appointment Reservation	Appointment	Represents the booked appointment leading to the encounter
Encounter Record	Encounter	Captures the details of the patient-provider interaction
Location	Location	Specifies where the encounter took place
Service Request	ServiceRequest	Indicates the request that initiated the encounter
Diagnostic Report	DiagnosticReport	Contains findings resulting from the encounter

Supported Fields (Encounter)

Field Name	Description	Example
id	Unique identifier for the encounter	encounter-001
status	The current status of the encounter	in-progress
class	Classification of the encounter (e.g., inpatient, outpatient)	outpatient
type	Specific type of encounter	Consultation
serviceType	Specific type of service provided	General Practice
subject	Reference to the patient involved in the encounter	Patient/patient-001
participant	List of participants involved in the encounter	See participant details below
appointment	Reference to the associated appointment	Appointment/appointment-001
period	The start and end time of the encounter	2025-06-15T09:00:00Z to 2025-06-15T09:30:00Z
reasonCode	Reason for the encounter	Routine check-up
diagnosis	List of diagnoses relevant to the encounter	Hypertension
location	List of locations where the patient has been	Clinic Room 1
serviceProvider	The organization responsible for the encounter	Organization/clinic-001

Participant Details:

Each participant includes:

• type: Role of the participant (e.g., primary performer)
• individual: Reference to the participant (e.g., Practitioner)
• period: Time period during which the participant was involved
• status: Participation status (e.g., accepted)

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Functional Workflow

1. Initiate Encounter: When a patient arrives for a scheduled appointment, an Encounter resource is created to document the interaction.
2. Record Details: Capture information such as participants, reasons, diagnoses, and locations associated with the encounter.
3. Update Status: As the encounter progresses, update the status field to reflect its current state (e.g., in-progress, completed).
4. Link to Outcomes: Associate the encounter with resulting resources like DiagnosticReport or Observation to maintain a comprehensive record.