HL7 (Health Level 7)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Level_7
http://www.hl7.org/about/FAQs/index.cfm?ref=nav
http://www.med-scribe.com/images/pdf/understanding-HL7-interface.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_health_record
http://www.fortherecordmag.com/archives/ftr_01082007p22.shtml
https://hcl.cbord.com/products/interfaces/messagesguide.pdf

Understanding HL7 interface role in health information Making decisions in the

health information role is becoming more and more of a technological guessing
game as the industry is quickly evolving. A key component of most health facilities
technologies is the integration engine, HL7 (Health Level Seven) interface, which
was built specifically for the healthcare industry. HL7 is one of the most widely
discussed and used application data standards in the information technology
industry. Most healthcare IT professionals have heard of HL7 and many work in
enterprises that use it without ever knowing. Health Level Seven (HL7) is a standard
series of predefined logical formats for packaging healthcare data in the form of
messages to be transmitted among computer systems. Originally developed in
1987, HL7 is now in use in more than twenty countries around the world. HL7
contains messages for almost every conceivable healthcare application area,
including the following:
Registration
Orders (clinical and other)
Results and observations
Queries
Finances

Master files and indexes

Document control
Scheduling and logistics
Personnel administration
Patient care planning
Network synchronization
Laboratory automation
HL7 is a messaging standard that enables clinical applications to exchange data

What does an HL7 interface do? An HL7 interface bridges the gaps between your
facilities patient registration system, transcription solution and EMR/EHR by using a
standard messaging protocol. Because hospitals and other healthcare providers
usually have different systems for different aspects of services, they are often
unable to communicate with each other. HL7 alleviates that problem by providing
the framework for the exchange, integration, sharing and retrieval of electronic
health information. HL7 interfaces provide an encrypted and secure means of
transferring files. The HL7 is "Level Seven" because its message formats are layered
upon the seventh level of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol of the
International Standards Organization (ISO). Unlike other standards, HL7 specifies
almost no restrictions whatsoever on the protocols to be used in the lower layers of
the interface. The definitions in HL7 concentrate on the logical arrangement of data
and what is meant by information in various parts of the message. What are the
benefits of an HL7 interface? Costs for healthcare facilities to interface are reduced
because HL7 is the worldwide health interface standard and all service and solution
providers should be knowledgeable and able to integrate. By using a HL7 interface
engine, health providers can realize the benefits of existing information systems
without major reinvestment in new technologies, lowering costs and extending the
life and efficiencies of current systems. There is also opportunity to link to systems
outside the healthcare provider such as providers of outsourced services like
radiology and transcription.

What is a HL7 interface engine?

A HL7 interface engine is an interface or integration engine built specifically for the healthcare industry. It connects legacy systems
by using a standard messaging protocol. Because hospitals and other healthcare providers usually have different systems for
different aspects of services, they are often unable to communicate with each other. HL7 gets around that problem by providing the
framework for the exchange, integration, sharing and retrieval of electronic health information. These standards and the most
commonly used throughout the world.

What are the benefits of an HL7 interface engine?

By using a HL7 interface engine, health providers can realize the benefits of existing legacy information systems without major reinvestment in new technologies, lowering costs and extending the life and efficiencies of current systems. There is also opportunity
to link to systems outside the healthcare provider such as providers of outsourced services like radiology.

How do HL7 interface engines work?

HL7 interface engines are software which work as a go-between for different systems. They monitor different types of interfaces and
communication points and perform actions according to rules defined by the organization.
HL7 works with a number of standards (Conceptual Standards, Document Standards, Application Standards and Messaging
Standards). Messaging standards define how information is packaged and communicated from one system to another.

Where can I find a HL7 interface engine?

A quick google search would bring up one or two suppliers of HL7 interface engines or you can read reviews from trusted industry
sources such as the report issued by KLAS.
Some of the products included in the KLAS report include:

Eclipsys eLink

Intersystems Ensemble

Oracle SOA Suite

Orion Health Rhapsody

Quovadx Cloverleaf

Siemens OPENLink

Sun eGate

Sun eGate 5-ICAN Suite

Sybase e-Biz Impact

TC Software ConnectMate

HL7 Interface An Overview

By Jon Mertz on March 4, 2010

With the discussion on healthcare interoperability escalating, it is good to take a step back and outline some
basics of an HL7 interface. Understanding an HL7 interface is essential as well as approaches to take in
implementing a growing number of HL7 interfaces.
What is HL7? HL7 is the most widely used standard to facilitate the communication between two or more
clinical applications. The prime benefit of HL7 is that it simplifies the implementation of interfaces and reduces
the need for custom interfaces. Since its inception in the late 1980s, HL7 has evolved as a very flexible
standard with a documented framework for negotiation between applications. The inherent flexibility makes
deploying HL7 interfaces a little more challenging at times.
Who uses an HL7 interface? There are several types of roles involved with HL7 interfaces, including clinical
application analysts, integration specialists, application programmers, and systems analysts.
How should you approach an HL7 interface? To facilitate communication between two healthcare
applications, a modest HL7 interface includes:

An export endpoint for the sending application

An import endpoint for the receiving application
A method of moving data between the two endpoints
A method for handling the queuing messages
A method for logging the flow of messages
Logic tells us that each healthcare application must grant access to accept and send patient data and have
rules of what it will accept and what it will send. Frequently, the access grant will be hard-and-fast rules rather
than flexible ones that provide easy methods for exchanging data. This access to data is usually tightly
controlled by each application vendor to ensure data integrity within their application.
To implement an HL7 interface between two or more applications, providers usually implement either a point-topoint interfacing approach or utilize an interface engine. A white paper which outlines these two approaches is
entitled What Is Your Healthcare Interfacing Approach?
(If youre on the market for an interface engine, see OTB Solutions Thirteen Steps to Selecting the Right HL7
Interface Engine)

On this site, we have written many posts about working with various healthcare standards with a strong focus
on HL7 interfacing and messaging. Outlined below are three posts worth a read to gain further insights on
developing and testing HL7 interfaces.

Getting Started with Your HL7 Interface: Highlights what to ask for and what to ask
about as it relates to HL7 messaging.
HL7 Specifications Defined: Defines what should be included in a healthcare interface
specification.
HL7 Sample Messages Always the Best Way to Go: Outlines the importance of
getting sample HL7 messages when developing an interface.
This information should provide you with a solid start in your healthcare interfacing project. Check out HL7
Resources and the Healthcare Interoperability Glossary for further definitions.

Working experience on HL7 v2 application data Standards and Knowledge of

HL7 v3 XML interactions

Transmit/send health care data between multiple health care systems or

organization using HL7 messaging Standards.
Send and receive HL7 messages with different types of data like Patient
Registration information, Patient Orders data, test Results & observations,
financial information...etc.
Validate HL7 Messages based on the standards provided.
Tested different scenarios by changing data in different segments like MSH,
PIDetc in HL7 Messages.
Create, modify and Validate HL7 Messages for different testing needs.
Knowledge of MLLP/LLP and TCP/IP protocols.
Tested positive and negative acknowledgements for each transaction.