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Capability Statements
This section provides an overview of the formal CapabilityStatement resources defined for CA:FeX. These artifacts define the expected resource support, interactions, and search behavior for each actor-option pairing across the CA:FeX exchange model.
For foundational context, see:
What is a CapabilityStatement?
A CapabilityStatement is a FHIR conformance resource that declares the specific RESTful behaviors a FHIR client or server supports. CA:FeX defines a set of actor- and option-specific CapabilityStatements to guide implementation and validation. These are linked below.
Notes:
- Querying for a CapabilityStatement is a recommended first step before initiating search or submission transactions. See RESTful API Interactions for HTTP behavior expectations when unsupported operations are attempted.
- In this guide, “SHALL” requirements on interactions or search parameters are conditional on resource adoption: they apply only if the server declares support for that resource in its CapabilityStatement. Here, Practitioner is SHOULD (optional but recommended); if implemented, the listed SHALL interactions and search parameters for Practitioner are mandatory for that server.
CA:FeX Server (General Superset)
The cafex-server CapabilityStatement represents a general-purpose FHIR server that fulfills the combined conformance requirements of all Data Responder and Data Recipient options defined in CA:FeX.
CapabilityStatements by Actor
Below are the formally defined CapabilityStatements grouped by CA:FeX Actor and their respective Options. Each one links to its Simplifier-hosted rendering and supports XML/JSON access.
Data Responder
| Option | Description | Capability Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | Search & Retrieve FHIR Document (/Bundle) |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Responder - Option A (Search and Retrieve FHIR Document) |
| Option B | Metadata Discovery & Binary Retrieval | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Responder - Option B (Metadata) |
| Option C | Retrieve Single FHIR Resource (/ResourceType) |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Responder - Option C (Single Resource Option) |
| Option D | Patient Summary using $summary |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Responder - Option D (Summary Option) |
Data Consumer
| Option | Description | Capability Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | Search & Retrieve FHIR Document (/Bundle) |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Consumer - Option A (Search and Retrieve FHIR Document) |
| Option B | Metadata Discovery & Binary Retrieval | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Consumer - Option B (Metadata Option) |
| Option C | Query for Single Resource (/ResourceType) |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Consumer - Option C (Single Resource Option) |
| Option D | Patient Summary using $summary |
CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Consumer - Option D (Summary Option) |
Data Source
| Option | Description | Capability Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | Submit FHIR Document Bundle | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Source - Option A (Submit FHIR Document) |
| Option B | Submit Metadata + Binary | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Source - Option B (Metadata) |
| Option C | Submit Single Resource | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Source - Option C (Submit Resource) |
Data Recipient
| Option | Description | Capability Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | Accept Submitted Document | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Recipient - Option A (Accept FHIR Document) |
| Option B | Accept Submitted Metadata | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Recipient - Option B (Metadata) |
| Option C | Accept Submitted Resource | CA:FeX CapabilityStatement - Data Recipient - Option C (Submit Resource) |
Additional Notes
- Each CapabilityStatement reflects Option-specific conformance for actors and should be treated as normative for that role.
- The CA:FeX Server CapabilityStatement supports all server-side Options (2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D).
- Use of FHIR operations like
$docrefand$summaryare described in Operations.
For detailed actor behavior and transaction design, refer to: