HL7 Messages

Health Level Seven (HL7) was developed as a standard language for the sharing and integration of electronic health information. HL7 messages are used by hospitals and healthcare providers to transmit data between disparate healthcare applications in a rapid and reliable manner.

HL7 messages are composed of a defined set of segments that are generated and sent from one healthcare application to another in response to a specific event (such as a patient admission to the hospital).

HL7 messages are used to share health information in the general areas of:

• Patient demographics
• Patient charges and accounting
• Patient insurance and guarantor
• Clinical observations
• Encounters including registration, admission, discharge and transfer
• Orders for clinical service (tests, procedures, pharmacy, dietary and supplies)
• Observation reporting including test results
• The synchronization of master files between systems
• Medical records document management
• Scheduling of patient appointments and resources
• Patient referrals—specifically messages for primary care referral
• Patient care and problem-oriented records

For more information on HL7 messaging and how to develop faster interfaces with support for additional protocols, such as X.12 and SOAP, visit our HL7 section.