Connect & FHIR APIs: Troubleshooting & FAQs

This article collates some of the most frequently asked questions and troubleshooting solutions for the MediRecords Connect & FHIR APIs. 

If you are not currently using the MediRecords Connect product, you can read more about API integration in the MediRecords Connect: Getting Started with REST & FHIR APIs article.

Contents:

1. API Documentation
2. Implementing & Maintaining an API Integration
3. Obtaining API Tokens
4. Giving an API Token to a Third-Party
5. Recommended API Thresholds
6. Do I need to use OAuth to Access the MediRecords APIs?
7. What are the Supported Data Formats?
8. Is FHIR® STU3 supported?
9. Are FHIR® extensions supported?
10. Does MediRecords support Smart-on-FHIR?
11. Server Capabilities & Configuration
12. How does MediRecords handle error conditions?
13. Unable to ePrescribe to Patients Created via Connect
14. Patients Imported with Null for First Name
15. Invalid Token does not Contain Resource ID

API Documentation

For Connect API Resources, please visit the Connect API Document for Developers.

For FHIR API Resources, you can reference the MediRecords FHIR website for developers.

Implementing & Maintaining an API Integration

If you purchase the Connect product, it is the responsibility of the purchaser to implement, develop, and maintain their own API integration.

MediRecords provides the API Access and documentation required, and can assist with guidance on which APIs are best to use for different scenarios, but do not offer consultation or development services.

We have collated some of our frequently asked questions and common troubleshooting scenarios to help support API integration customers in this article.

If you find any bugs, these may be raised with our Support team on support@medirecords.com. 

Obtaining API Tokens

As a Connect customer, you can request as many API Tokens as you need, and each token generated is unique to the user.

If you need another API Token or another copy of your existing token, reach out to your Customer Success Manager. If you are not sure who your Customer Success Manager is, you can reach out to the team on success@medirecords.com. 

Giving an API Token to a Third-Party

You may give your API Token to a third party for assistance in implementing your Connect connection,  however you will be responsible for ensuring that the third-party acts within the Terms of Service for the Connect Product. Only APIs listed on the following two resources are available for public use:

Connect API Resources

FHIR Resources

Recommended API Thresholds

Standard usage Poll at a steady rate of around 1 request per second per client. Short bursts of up to 5 rapid requests are fine for brief scenarios like a quick refresh, but avoid sustained high-frequency polling (more than 2 requests per second), as this can affect system performance.

On success Continue polling at your normal rate (1 request per second).

On temporary failure (timeouts or server errors) Rather than retrying immediately, wait progressively longer between each attempt: 1 second → 2 seconds → 4 seconds → 8 seconds (up to a maximum of 30 seconds)

To prevent many clients retrying at exactly the same time, introduce a small random delay to each interval.

When idle or inactive If no changes have been detected for a period of time, reduce your polling frequency — for example, dropping to once every 2–5 seconds. Resume your normal polling rate as soon as user activity or a state change is detected.

After repeated failures If requests continue to fail after 4–5 attempts, pause polling entirely for 30–60 seconds before trying again. Where possible, display a fallback state in the UI during this time rather than continuing to retry in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use OAuth to Access the MediRecords APIs?

Yes, MediRecords APIs are protected with OAuth 2.0.

What are the Supported Data Formats?

JSON only.

Yes, MediRecords supports extensions on different resources as defined in MediRecords profiles. However, unknown extensions and data elements are not supported by the server.

Does MediRecords support Smart-on-FHIR?

MediRecords is actively working on enabling Smart-on-FHIR for the existing APIs. Any update on Smart-on-FHIR for MediRecords will be provided on the MediRecords FHIR website for developers.

Server Capabilities and Configuration

How does MediRecords handle error conditions?

MediRecords will return appropriate HTTP codes and an OperationOutcome when an error condition occurs. Refer to REST API specification for more details.

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

Unable to ePrescribe to Patients Created via Connect

Relevant to: Create Patient Setting

In order to successfully ePrescribe to a patient, their record must contain an IHI Number, and the ePrescribing tick-box must be ticked within Patient Settings. 

If you would like your patients to be able to be electronically prescribed to on import, you will need to ensure that the records imported contain an IHI number per patient, and a True flag for the ePrescribing tick-box. Examples shown below:

"ihiNo": "8000000000000000",
"ihiNoStatusCode": null,
"ihiRecordStatusCode": null,
"ePrescribing": true

Patients Imported with Null for First Name

Relevant to: Create Patient

This can occur if the payload contains the "oneNameOnly" flag, and it is set to True. To resolve this, change the flag to false.

"oneNameOnly": false,

Invalid Token does not Contain Resource ID

Relevant to: All Connect & FHIR APIs

This issue can occur if an invalid key is used to access the API. The API keys are specific to the product. As such, you must use the FHIR API key to access the FHIR API, and use the Connect Key to access the Connect API.