HL7 Integration Services
HL7 is a healthcare-specific standards organization creating a defined set of global messaging standards that support data integration, learn more here!
HL7 Integration: A Comprehensive Guide
Are you struggling with manual effort of adding data to various systems for the same patient? Are you facing challenges in data consistencies across various platforms? Do your systems connect with each other seamlessly?
We at Taction, founded by experts with over 30 years experience in Healthcare and other verticals, with over 10 years experience in the Healthcare Industry and having developed 100s of HIPAA compliant healthcare products, understand these challenges faced by the healthcare industry. Healthcare facilities often face difficulty accessing patient records and documents owing to the fact that they are spread across a number of electronic systems and hospitals.
Integrating using the HL7 interfaces and FHIR standards provides an effective solution to these obstacles. Also known as Health Level Seven, this set of standards and guidelines which were created to assist healthcare providers in sharing data more efficiently between platforms.
Integrating using these standards in existing systems enables faster exchanges across platforms; for more information about this integration, please refer to Taction’s comprehensive guide on HL7 implementation.
What are HL7 standards?
HL7 means Health Level Seven. These are standards created by Health Level Seven organization which comprises seven distinct layers based on ISO communication models:
- Physical Layer: This layer serves to connect medical facilities with transmission media.
- Data Link Layer: Data Link Layer manages and reduces errors between adjacent nodes.
- Presentation Layer: Data Link Layer transforms information.
- Network Layer: Data Link Layer routes information across a network.
- Transport Layer: The transport Layer of HL7 controls end-to-end communication.
- Session Layer: Data Link Layer manages non-communication issues.
- Application Layer: Data Link Layer provides services to applications.
Why Do Healthcare Systems Need to Support HL7 Integration?
Today’s healthcare environment demands true interoperability between EHR, PMS, LIS, RIS and other Healthcare Systems to achieve real interoperability to enable effective use of electronic health records (EHRs). Compliance with comprehensive data standards brings healthcare stakeholders closer to seamless electronic health record (EHR) interoperability – whether at an independent practice level or for national entities. HL7 integration plays a pivotal role in realizing true interoperability by breaking down silos between these institutions.
Healthcare professionals relying on outdated methods like faxing and carrying paper documents require HL7 standards or similar guidelines in order to be productive; otherwise, they would find themselves working within isolated data silos, having limited access to EHR data, and spending too much time doing manual tasks.
Healthcare organizations can leverage data integration solutions to integrate HL7 data from different EHR systems into one environment, creating benefits such as streamlining workflows, increasing access to vital information and decreasing manual processes. Fostering true interoperability while breaking down siloed barriers are an additional advantage of integration.
Let’s explore the advantages of incorporating HL7 standards in healthcare organizations:
Integrating Healthcare Systems Seamlessly: Healthcare data standards facilitate seamless integration across systems such as EMR, RIS, LIS and PACS within hospitals. Their well-defined specifications enable an efficient exchange of information, minimizing manual processes.
Implementation Simplified: Healthcare organizations benefit significantly from adopting industry standards like HL7 v2/ v3, CDA and FHIR, which makes implementation possible. They enable healthcare organizations to plan while developing their system keeping in mind HL7/ FHIR integration that their EHR systems need to support. They also provide guidelines around standardizing field name, etc. thus providing significant time, resource and cost savings.
Efficient Medical Billing and Claims Management: Standardized CPT/ ICD and other codes in medical billing are invaluable tools for healthcare providers, making the billing process simpler by representing medical procedures and treatments. By adopting such codes into healthcare organization’s operations, billing operations become streamlined, accurate claims are made quickly, discrepancies are addressed quickly, and the amount of effort gets reduced.
Improved Decision-Making: Rapid exchange of clinical information allows physicians to make more informed decisions more promptly, leading to enhanced treatment outcomes and reduced morbidity rates. Integrating lab test results into hospital EHR systems enables quick identification of use cases like identifying diabetic patients with uncontrolled blood sugar levels, prompting timely follow-up appointments and interventions as necessary.
Improved compatibility and compliance: Established standards facilitate uniformity and compliance when protecting patient data and seamless exchange with other organizations that follow similar recognized standards.
HL7 Integration Process
HL7 Integration provides well structured guidelines. Let’s take a look at an example of an HL7 integration that illustrates our work process. At Taction, we conduct an HL7 interface analysis where we assess client’s HL7 requirements and determine the necessary HL7 specifications.
Next, our expert team proceeds to develop message prototypes as part of the next phase. , and carry out HL7 interface testing to confirm these prototypes within a controlled testing environment. Once we have analyzed and confirmed the security of the network architecture, our team proceeds with HL7 development planning. Finally, we advance to the development phase, where we implement the necessary steps to bring the HL7 integration to actuality.
Interface & Requirements Analysis
Identify Message Type
Message Prototype Development
Network Security Planning
HL7 Deployment & Integration Phase
Taction’s Expertise in HL7 Integration & Development
Taction is an award-winning company known for specializing in healthcare technology innovation. Our experts have made tremendous strides in revolutionizing healthcare through technological innovation. We recognize HL7’s significance to healthcare providers and are ready to assist your facility in reaping its advantages.
At Taction, our HL7 integration experts can guide you in understanding how HL7 fits into healthcare and can bring value to your organization. We help adapt the HL7 data format and integrate healthcare systems using top-tier HL7 integration software available today. With extensive experience working with FHIR standards, HL7 interface engine and open-source integration solutions worldwide, Taction’s experts specialize in using open-source HL7 interface engine such as Mirth Connect for healthcare organizations around the globe.
Furthermore, our expertise extends to offering an array of HL7 data integration services and solutions, such as compliance testing for open-source HL7 interface engines and rigorous interface testing of any customized engines that may be implemented into solutions we create for clients. We ensure all your interoperability and compliance needs are fulfilled so you can focus on providing quality healthcare services that enhance people’s well-being.
Taction can help your organization take full advantage of HL7 integration to unlock the full potential of healthcare technology for better care delivery. Partner with us, and you’ll unlock its power – unlock its potential and discover all its possibilities for your organization!
- HL7 Integration
- Mirth Connect HL7
- HL7 FHIR Integration
- HL7 Interface Standards And Development
- HL7 Specifications And Messaging
- HL7 data exchange of various types like ADT, OML, MDM, MFN, ORM, ORU, SCH, SIU, PID, PV1, IN1, OBX, DG1, ACK
Why Taction For HL7 Integration?
Taction offers top-of-the-line HL7 integration solutions and cost-effective services with outstanding results for our clients. We pride ourselves on creating high-quality mobile solutions featuring innovative coding practices and efficient system architecture – our main objective is to provide cost-effective services with outstanding results for all.
At Taction, we take great pleasure in serving over 170 customers globally – giving us ample experience in the field. With over 100,000 hours of experience, we have developed and refined our expertise and demonstrated our capabilities by completing over 400 projects from various industries – proof that Taction can accommodate various requirements effectively.
Our outstanding performance is demonstrated by our rating of 4.9 out of 5, which speaks volumes about how our services have satisfied clients.
4.9/5 Customer Rating
170+ Global Customers
400+ Projects Delivered
30K+ Hours Worked
Some of Our Clients
At Taction, we have had the privilege of serving various clients across different industries. Here are just a few examples of the diverse clientele we have worked with:
Some of Our Works
At Taction, we take pride in our portfolio of successful projects across various industries. Here are some noteworthy examples of the work we have completed:
[Case Study] Healthcare Billing Automation Using HL7 and Mirth Connect
[Case Study] Billing Platform and Lab Results Integration Using HL7 and Mirth Connect
[Case Study] Customized HL7 Channels for Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE)
[Case Study] Smart Payments Application
[Case Study] Social Fashion Application
[Case Study] PHP-Based Healthcare System With Formulary Check Using Allscripts API
FAQs: HL7 Integration
A1: HL7 integration refers to linking and exchanging healthcare data across various systems, such as electronic health records (EHR), laboratory information systems and radiology information systems using the Health Level Seven standard. This facilitates seamless and standardized healthcare information exchanges that ensure interoperability and efficient data exchange among various applications in healthcare settings.
A2: Integrating HL7 standards is vitally important in healthcare as it fosters interoperability and efficient data exchange between different healthcare systems, allowing healthcare providers to access patient records accurately and timely – improving clinical decision-making, streamlining workflows and patient care coordination while eliminating manual data entry to save time and improve operational efficiency.
A3: Integrating HL7 provides several advantages for healthcare organizations, including:
Streamlined Workflows: HL7 integration allows seamless data exchange among various systems, eliminating manual data entry and administrative burdens while streamlining workflows for healthcare providers and increasing efficiency and productivity.
Enhance Data Accuracy: Integrating systems through HL7 increases data accuracy as the information is transmitted in an industry-standard format, eliminating manual data entry errors while providing reliable and consistent information across systems.
Increased Patient Care Coordination: HL7 integration facilitates the exchange of patient data, allowing healthcare providers to gain access to comprehensive and up-to-date information that improves care coordination among providers for improved patient outcomes and continuity of care.
Cost Savings: Integrating HL7 reduces manual processes, leading to substantial time, resource, and operational expense savings. Furthermore, it simplifies administrative tasks, reduces data entry errors, and optimizes resource utilization.
A4: While HL7 integration provides many advantages, it also presents some potential obstacles, including:
Complex Implementation: Integrating HL7 requires expert knowledge of its standards, mapping data fields and configuring interfaces – it can be an involved process that requires meticulous planning and technical know-how.
Data Mapping and Transformation: Integrating systems with different data structures or formats requires data mapping and transformation, which can be time-consuming and require meticulous care in its execution.
System Compatibility: Ensuring compatibility among different healthcare systems and versions of HL7 standards can be challenging, with issues potentially emerging during integration that needs testing and validation to prevent issues from developing.
Security and Privacy: Safeguarding patient information while complying with privacy regulations such as HIPAA is critical in HL7 integration. Implementing robust security measures and data encryption is necessary to safeguard sensitive information.
A5: The duration of HL7 integration varies greatly depending on factors like system complexity, scope, resources available and deployment timeline. Integration typically comprises phases such as analysis, design, development, testing and deployment, with timelines ranging from several weeks for more straightforward projects up to several months for complex ones. To get accurate estimates based on your specific requirements, it is wise to hire professional HL7 integrators that specialize in this area.
A6: While HL7 remains one of the more widely adopted standards for data integration in healthcare environments, other standards exist, such as FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources). FHIR offers a more accessible, web-based way of exchanging healthcare data; depending on individual system needs and systems involved, combining both can be used for data integration, ensuring interoperability and efficient communication between healthcare applications.