HL7, which is an abbreviation of Health Level Seven, is a standard for exchanging information between medical applications. This standard defines a format for the transmission of health-related information.
Information sent using the HL7 standard is sent as a collection of one or more messages, each of which transmits one record or item of health-related information. Examples of HL7 messages include patient records, laboratory records and billing information.
Although HL7 and their messages are widely used, many systems don't know how to speak the language and require a translator. HL7 interface engines work along side existing applications as an interpreter, speaking the language of HL7.
The following sections provide an overview of the HL7 standard. The following topics are covered:
Additional sections discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the HL7 standard and provide technical details of the HL7 standard and its common transport methods. You will not need to read these sections to understand the HL7 standard, but they may be useful to you if you need additional background information to implement your application or interface.
To view a video that describes what HL7 is and what it does, follow this link: How Does HL7 Work?
To learn more about the HL7 organization and standard, refer to the official HL7 website, http://www.hl7.org.
Looking for HL7 Training?
The web-based HL7 training course covers the formatting and message structure of HL7 version 2 messages. Real-life scenarios are used to demonstrate process concerns.
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