HL7 Survival Guide - Chapter 1: How to Integrate and Exchange Data

HL7 SURVIVAL
GUIDE
INTRO AND CHAPTER 1
A supplement to the HL7 Survival Guide, available at
www.caristix.com/blog/hl7-survival-guide

A publication of

HL7 SURVIVAL GUIDE INTRO & CHAPTER 1 2

ABOUT CARISTIX

Caristix software brings your whole interfacing
process together in a single, powerful platform.
CUT TIME-TO- NO MORE TRIAL
GO-LIVE AND ERROR
Up to 50%. Scope it right. Manage
requirements.

VENDOR- CLEAR YOUR
AGNOSTIC INTERFACING
Work with any BACKLOG
interface engine. Simplify dramatically.
Align teams.

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INTRODUCTION

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• Interfacing…
• You can’t live without it…
• But you don’t have to suffer

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USE THE SURVIVAL GUIDE

• Get a firm grasp on challenges, standards, choices
• Unravel misconceptions
• Handle multiple interoperability issues due to
Meaningful Use

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HL7 DEFINED

• HL7: a language that enables consistent exchange
of health-related information
• Check out this video for a 3-minute overview of
HL7:
• http://youtu.be/qewOJPxz4-c

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HL7 VERSION 2 OR 3?

• HL7 v3 was released years ago
• But most clinical applications and real-world
implementations use v2.3 or v2.4 as the base
standard
• MU specifies v2.x in several requirements
• Danger points:
– HL7 v3 is not backwards-compatible
– Adoption is low. Some call v3 a failure
• Our recommendation: stick with v2!

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3 MAIN CHALLENGES WITH HL7

1. Customizable HL7 format
• Data structure/format based on trigger events,
segments, fields, and data types.
• Must account for complex clinical workflows
• No true “HL7 compliance” except in the most
general sense

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2. Configurable and Customizable HL7 Data
Tables and Code Sets
• HL7 recommends data values.
• But can be customized.
• Some must be customized – for instance, hospital
location codes.
• The upshot: data is handled differently, depending
on the application or system.

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3. HL7 Data Semantics
• Good semantics means: the meaning or context of
the data is exchanged accurately.
• Example: does NA mean “Not Applicable” or “No
Allergies”?

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CHAPTER 1: HOW TO INTEGRATE AND EXCHANGE DATA

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THE FIRST STEP

• Define your healthcare integration strategy
• Do you need an interface engine?
• Point to point?
• What integration capabilities?
• Which systems to integrate?

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INTERFACES REQUIRE DEVELOPMENT EFFORT

• What does HL7-compliant really mean?
– Surprisingly little.
• Development effort must address
– Custom message formats
– Custom data values
– Your code sets
– Vendor quirks

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POINT-TO-POINT INTERFACES

• Healthcare organizations use different applications and
systems
– Billing
– EMR
– Labs
– Pharmacy
• Must exchange data
• Simplest option: point-to-point interface or direct
connection between two systems
• But # of point-to-point interfaces can explode with
multiple systems

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INTERFACE AND INTEGRATION ENGINES

• Engine: middleware to connect systems.
• No need for individual connections
• Orchestrate message workflow
• Transform message formats
• Guarantee message delivery

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INTERFACE ENGINE AND
AN INTEGRATION ENGINE?

• Range of functions and business capabilities
• Your choice depends on your business needs

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TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN COST AND COMPLEXITY

• Point-to-point: get your feet wet
• Need more than a handful of interfaces? A plain-
vanilla engine.
• Complex clinical workflows, multiples systems and
locations? Look at integration engines.

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TRANSPORTING AN HL7 MESSAGE

• HL7 guides format and data, but not transportation.
• Engines do the translation, mediation,
orchestration, and routing.
• Choose transport mechanism that makes the most
sense: LLP, TCP sockets, FTP, Web Services,
email, or something else.
• Understand your sending and receiving
applications’ requirements.

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UP NEXT: CHAPTER 2

• Chapter 2 in the HL7 Survival Guide
• The Pros and Cons of Interfacing Capabilities
– Point-to-point, interfacing, and integration all have their
advantages and drawbacks. Learn more in Chapter 2.
– Blog link: http://caristix.com/blog/2012/11/hl7-survival-
guide-chapter-2/
– Slide deck on Slideshare: coming soon.

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QUESTIONS? FEEDBACK?

Is a recommendation unclear?
Disagree with something we said?
Let us know! We thrive on feedback.

Contact Us
support@caristix.com
1-877-872-0027

WWW.CARISTIX.COM © Caristix 2013. All rights reserved. SHARE THE SLIDE
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HL7 Survival Guide - Chapter 1: How to Integrate and Exchange Data

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