 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
HL7 Example: PrognoCIS and Medcomsys- Medstar systems product HL7 Interface |
The following white paper details the use of HL7 to interface data between MedStar systems practice management and medical billing software and PrognoCIS's and Medcomsys Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
HL7 Definition
Heath Level Seven (HL7) is the registered trade mark of the HL7 consortium - an ANSI approved non-profit standards body set up to establish communications protocols for the health industry. In its present format (since version 2.3,) HL7 is a delimited, tree-based text message protocol.
HL7 is one of several ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organizations (SDO's) operating in the healthcare arena. Most SDO's produce standards for a particular healthcare domain such as pharmacy, medical devices, imaging or insurance (claims processing) transactions. HL7's domain is clinical and administrative data. The mission of HL7:
"To provide standards for the exchange, management and integration of data that support clinical patient care and the management, delivery and evaluation of healthcare services. Specifically, to create flexible, cost effective approaches, standards, guidelines, methodologies, and related services for interoperability between healthcare information systems."
Another definition of HL7:
"To provide standards for the exchange of data among health-care computer applications that eliminates or substantially reduces the custom interface programming and program maintenance that may otherwise be required."
HL7 Implementation
HL7's messaging protocols impact right across the healthcare sector, particularly in the USA. HL7 unifies the relationship between various parties where HL7 interfacing occurs. These parties are summarized as follows:
Health Information System (HIS) vendor - these are companies who develop specific software applications for the healthcare sector. Whether they are Patient Information Registers, or full Clinical Transaction based Practice Management Software applications, HL7 compatibility will have been built into those applications as determined by the industry standard. MedStar systems product is one of these vendors.
Customer - a company/organization that uses a recognized healthcare software application from a vendor, that includes HL7 integration capability. Usually, these are Hospitals, Medical Clinics or specific healthcare oriented specialists.
Third party - where a non-healthcare software application is installed by a Customer. This third party application also transmits messages which may impact on the primary healthcare application (such as transcribed documents or voice files). Therefore, HL7 integration needs to occur with the third party's application as well.
HL7 service providers - These companies provide messaging toolkits and solutions to assist vendors, customers, and third party vendors on how to structure HL7 correctly. Examples include: Orion Systems and their Symphonia Messaging Toolkit (www.orion.co.nz), and Neo Tools HL7 Accelerator (www.neotool.com).
Understanding HL7
Message Protocol
HL7, broken down to its simplest definition, is a set of protocols which determines the status of various messages being processed through an HIS application. In the context of HL7 terminology, the message could relate to the status of transactions, records, orders or jobs as it passes through the HIS application.
Status Types
In MedStar systems terminology, status types can vary depending on the type of application to which we are communicating. Please contact your MedStar systems representative for further information.
If a healthcare application has status types for dictation jobs built in, the customer will then need to match these to MedStar systems products through a mapping table. Please contact a MedStar Solutions MedStar systems representative for further information.
Message Types
At this stage, MedStar systems supports the several message types, depending on the application to which we communicate.
MedStar Role in HL7
MedStar is considered to be a healthcare information system party vendor, in terms of its role within the HL7 hierarchy.HL7 capability only applies to healthcare oriented applications, such as MedStar. MedStar has developed the HL7 Module using Microsoft tools.
HL7 Outlining The Requirements
For HL7 messaging to interface successfully between MedStar Solutions MedStar systems software and a HIS or Dictation system, certain conditions are required at the Customers end to ensure seamless integration with their HIS. These are as follows:
- WAN/LAN needs to have appropriate levels of security in place for the transfer of messaging between systems (HTTPS and Digital Certificates);
- TCP/IP protocol is supported;
- Customer requires the MedStar systems application;
- MS SQL Server application;
- SQL Server User Name and Password must be known;
- Customer requires MedStar systems's HL7 Module;
- Customer is also required to have an IT person available and conversant with setting up an HL7 interfacing system, particularly at a technical level.
Specific Example - HL7 Interface to PrognoCIS EMR
The HL7 Interface specification for PrognoCIS and Medcomsys is as follows:-
- Export New /Updated patient details from Medstar to PrognoCIS.
- Export New/Reschedule/Cancel/Modify Appointments from Medstar systems to PrognoCIS and Medcomsys.
The HL7 Interface specification for Medstar Solutions MedStar systems product is as follows:-
- Import charge capture From PrognoCIS.
The MedStar systems products has capabilities of doing these HL7 interfaces on TCP/IP sockets.
PrognoCIS has capabilities of doing these HL7 interfaces based on Files.
The data to be transferred between them is critical and the solution is HIPAA compliant
The two systems work in a different environment, In other words they are not located on the same LAN.
Medstar has secured FTP client software on its Server with scheduling capabilities, and an FTP server runs on PrognoCIS server.
The Scheduler in the FTP voyager is configured to monitor 3 different folders which are named as patient, appt and charge in the Medstar server. When a new patient is registered or existing patient details are updated in medstar, HL7 file will be created for the new patient and the updated patient in the patient folder. The scheduler automatically uploads these files to the prognoCIS server and deletes them from the Medstar Server.
Similarly for a new, reschedule, cancel and modify appointments, corresponding HL7 files are created in the appt folder and the files are uploaded to prognoCIS server.
In the case of charge capture, the scheduler is configured to monitor a folder in prognoCIS. Once the charge capture file is created in prognoCIS, the scheduler automatically downloads the file to charge folder in Medstar Server.
The diagram shown below illustrates the work flow between medstar and PrognoCIS.
Diagram
Segment Specification
Patient Export
The Segments to be sent for a new and updated patient are as follows:
MSH, PID, NK1, PV1.
- MSH
The time of creation of the file, sender, receiver and the type of message details are specified in the MSH segment.
- PID
The segment contains data related to patient like Patient name, address, and phone number, account number, date of birth, patient marital status.
- NK1
The NK1 segment contains patient emergency contact and Next of kin contact information, each contact information will be sent in a separate NK1 segment.
- PV1
The segment contains Primary Physician details the patient has registered to and in addition to that referring physician details if required.
Appointment Export
The Segments to be sent for a new, reschedule, cancel and modify appointments are as follows:
MSH, PID, SCH, PV1
- MSH
The time of creation of the file, sender, receiver and the type of message details are specified in the MSH segment.
- PID
The segment contains data related to patient like Patient name, address, and phone number, account number, date of birth, patient marital status.
- PV1
The segment contains Primary Physician details the patient has registered to and in addition to that referring physician details if required.
- SCH
The date and time of appointment, attending doctor, location, reason of appointment are the fields that are sent in SCH segment.
Charge Capture
A service developed in .net will be running as a system process, the service monitors the charge folder in Medstar Server for new files, any new charge capture file downloaded from prognoCIS to this folder, the Service reads the contents of the file and stores the required fields into the Medstar Database.
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Copyright © 2003
MedStar specializes in: medical management software, medical billing software, practice management software,
electronic medical records software, emr, electronic healthcare records, medical office solutions and radiology information software.
Problems or feedback? Contact the webmaster. |
|
|
|
