HL7 is a healthcare-specific standards organization whose primary focus is to create a defined set of international messaging standards to support interoperability and communication between applications and devices. These messaging standards can be categorized into three main HL7 standards releases, HL7 version 2 (v2), version 3 (v3), and the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR).
The HL7 v2.x standard is the most common data standard in the healthcare industry today.
Why does this matter?
Messages sent using the HL7 standard are sent as a collection of one or more messages, each of which transmits a record or piece of health-related information.There are many types of HL7 messages, such as patient data, lab requisitions, and billing information.
The HL7 specification document provides a framework for formatting and transmitting HL7 messages between healthcare organizations.
HL7 and Mirth Connect
Despite the widespread use of HL7 and its messages, many systems do not know how to speak the language and require translators. The HL7 Integration Engine works with existing applications as an interpreter, creating HL7 interfaces and using the HL7 language.
Integration engines like Mirth Connect ensure that interacting with healthcare messages is done quickly, reliably, securely, and cost-effectively with the advantages of HL7 messaging.