Aidbox (FHIR Server)
RCMbox is FHIR-native: all clinical and billing data — Patients, Encounters, Claims, CoverageEligibilityRequests, ChargeItems, and custom resources like BillingCase and BillingTask — are stored and exchanged as FHIR resources. RCMbox ships with Aidbox as its default FHIR server, but any FHIR R4-compliant server can be used in its place.
Why Aidbox by default
Aidbox is a high-performance FHIR server built by Health Samurai. It offers features that the built-in activities rely on:
- PostgreSQL-backed storage — FHIR resources are stored in a Postgres schema, making complex queries and batch operations fast.
- AidboxSubscriptionTopic — the subscription trigger mechanism RCMbox uses to watch FHIR resource changes is implemented on top of Aidbox's topic-based subscription system.
- Custom resource types —
BillingCase,BillingTask,BillingTransmission, andBillingAccountTransactionare registered as Aidbox custom resource definitions. - Contained resource support —
BillingCasesnapshots clinical context as contained FHIR resources; Aidbox handles this transparently.
Using a different FHIR server
If you bring your own FHIR server, consider the following:
| Feature | Aidbox | Any FHIR R4 server |
|---|---|---|
| Standard FHIR REST API | Yes | Yes |
| Subscription triggers | AidboxSubscriptionTopic | Requires custom trigger adapter |
| Custom resource types | Supported natively | May need profiles or extensions |
| Batch/transaction bundles | Full support | Required by FHIR spec (R4) |
Project-specific activities can call any FHIR server's REST API directly. Built-in activities that use Aidbox-specific features (subscriptions, custom resource types) may need adaptation if you switch servers.
Connection
The FHIR server URL and credentials are configured via environment variables:
AIDBOX_URL=https://your-aidbox.example.com
AIDBOX_CLIENT_ID=rcmbox
AIDBOX_CLIENT_SECRET=...
Both the Billing API and Billing Worker use these to authenticate against the FHIR server.