HL7 is the widely used protocol in Healthcare networks.

2. WHAT IS HL7
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 healthrelated information.
Examples of HL7 messages include patient
records, laboratory records and billing
information.

3. WHAT IS AN HL7 MESSAGE
An HL7 message consists of a group of
segments in a defined sequence, with these
segments (or groups of segments) being
optional, required, and/or repeatable.
• Message Type
• Trigger Event
Example: ADT-A01

4. SEGMENTS
Message Header (MSH):
Segment which contains the message type, version and other
important information.
PID:
Patient Identification data
PV1: Patient Visit
IN1: Insurance Segment
AL1: Allergy information
DG1: Diagnosis information

5. MESSAGE DELIMITERS
The MSH also defines the delimiters used in the message.
• |: Segment delimiter
• ^: Component separator
• ~: Repetition separator
• : Escape character
• &: Sub-component separator

6. EXAMPLE

8. SOME STANDARDS USED FOR COMMUNICATION
IN HEALTHCARE
•
Accredited Standards Committee X12 — ASC-X12
•
American Dental Association — ADA o ADA Joint Project
Statement
•
American Society for Testing Materials — ASTM
•
CEN/TC 251
•
Digital Imaging and Communication In Medicine — DICOM
•
eHealth
•
Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers — IEEE
•
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise — IHE
•
National Council for Prescription Drug Program — NCPDP

9. Image Courtesy: www.vascularbilling.com
Image Courtesy: http://www.modernanalyst.com

10. COMPLETE WORKFLOW FROM PATIENT VISIT TO
PROCESSING CLAIMS
HL7 Communication
Image Courtesy: http://www.fastemc.com/