HL7 Interfaces
- Health Level Seven (HL7): An organization that develops standards (sometimes called specifications or protocols) for the healthcare market
- Connected: An "interface" is a bridge between two programs allowing messages to be transferred between the programs
- Avoid Duplicate Entry: These messages allow information entered into one system to be transferred without duplicate entry to another system
- EMR/RIS: Interfaces exist between MDsuite and a number of popular Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Radiology Information Systems (RIS)
- Choice: HL7 messaging allows providers to choose a clinical system matched to their specialty
- Send and Receive: Using HL7, MDsuite can send and receive demographic messages, send scheduling messages, and receive charge messages
Concepts
- Each interface is different and must be coordinated between the two companies
- The types of information that transfer from one program to another and the direction of the information, i.e., from MDsuite to the HIS and/or from the HIS to MDsuite, vary according to the interface that was developed
- Data is passed between MDsuite and the HIS in the form of HL7 messages; each HL7 message conveys some particular type of information, e.g., the patient's demographics, an appointment, a charge, etc.
- The HL7 specification encompasses any and all types of information that might exist in the healthcare field
- HL7 interfaces only implement a small subset of this universe of messages
