# Future of AU Base - AU Base Implementation Guide v6.0.0-preview

* [**Table of Contents**](toc.md)
* [**Guidance**](guidance.md)
* **Future of AU Base**

## Future of AU Base

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| *Page standards status:*[Informative](http://hl7.org/fhir/R4/versions.html#std-process) |

### AU Base Yearly Updates

AU Base will be published yearly. Yearly AU Base updates reflect changes from:

* HL7 AU projects 
* AU Core
* AU eRequesting
* AU Provider Directory
* AU Patient Summary
 
* requests from the AU FHIR community.

The approach is outlined in the figure below:

**Figure 1: Yearly update of AU Base** 

### Maturing the Baseline

The approach to develop and mature AU Base is outlined in the figure below making reference to the [Australian FHIR Maturity Model (AFMM) levels](generalguidance.md#maturity-levels).

**Figure 3: Maturing the AU Base baseline** 

### FHIR Version Support

AU Base has been based on [FHIR Version R4](https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/index.html) since AU Base version 2.0.0. Prior versions were based on FHIR Version STU3. The next version of FHIR that AU Base will be based on has not been decided. It is under consideration on whether the next supported FHIR version is the upcoming FHIR Version R6 and not R5. As of the publication date, there is no timeline for this update.

### Future Candidate Requirements Under Consideration

The following items are under consideration to add to AU Base ([Link to Deferred List in Jira](https://jira.hl7.org/issues/?jql=project%20%3D%20FHIR%20AND%20Specification%20%3D%20%22%5BFHIR-au-base%5D%22%20AND%20status%20%3D%20Deferred)).

* **AU Base Charge Item**: The inclusion of an AU Base Charge Item profile is under consideration to support localisation of the representation of medical billing information, including MBS codes, to support localised, standard representation of chargeable items in an Australian healthcare context.
* **AU Base Ethnicity**: The inclusion of a CodeableConcept extension to support ethnicity is under consideration. There is concern on the lack of an appropriate terminology, noting the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) 2019 has been considered, and the more specific ancestry coding index. Feedback is sought on the suitability of these coding standards in supporting targeted provision of culturally appropriate healthcare services. In addition, a single CodeableConcept extension may not suitable for use when an ethnic identity is comprised of an unstructured string of potentially multiple composites (e.g. 'Of Malaysian and German descent but associates more as a Malay'). Feedback is sought on how to support an unstructured string, including the possibility of a string alternative to cater for narrative or composite text statements.
* **AU Base Family Member History**: The inclusion of an AU Base Family Member History profile is under consideration to support localised, standard representation of family health history in an Australian healthcare context.
* **AU Base Health Insurer Identifier**: The inclusion of an AU Base profile to define a health insurer identifier is under consideration to support consistent, standardised identification of health insurers, including private health insurers, in an Australian healthcare context.
* **AU Base NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Number**: The inclusion of an AU Base profile to define the NDIS Number is under consideration for a future release of AU Base.
* **AU Base profile policies and governance**: Future versions of AU Base will make reference to policies and conventions for HL7 AU FHIR artefacts. In particular for AU Base, there is interest in further defining the design conventions for AU Base use case profiles and AU Base non-use case profiles. Given the nature and scope of the work across all HL7 AU FHIR implementation guides, there is likely to be an HL7 AU project to develop the material and provide recommendations for enhancing HL7 AU Implementation Guides. This work will address related issues and ensure alignment with governance practices.

