EMR Integration

Kestral™

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The adoption of EMRs (Electronic Medical Records) is booming. EMRs help physicians manage the relationship with their patients and accurately track their medical history. There is no paper chart to get misplaced and, with near universal Internet availability, patient records can be made available from nearly any location.

Even an EMR with the best features and functionality cannot be successfully implemented and utilized without connectivity and data exchange with external systems and organizations. That’s where Dynamic Health IT (DHIT) can help.

We specialize in HL7 interface development and support – we pride ourselves on offering cost-effective turnkey HL7 solutions for healthcare organizations that can’t afford or don’t wish to retain in-house HL7 expertise and staffing. The following types of HL7 data are commonly exchanged between an EMR and other providers, hospitals and ancillary systems:

 

ADT (Admission, Discharge and Transfer): A hospital-centric acronym for patient demographics, insurance and visit/encounter-related information. ADT messages typically contain information for patient identification, patient processing and generating bills and insurance claims. They often identify the patient’s next-of-kin and emergency contact(s). Sometimes they include diagnosis information.

Orders: Many EMR systems send orders electronically via HL7 messages. HL7 order messages are commonly called “ORM” messages and can be used in place of phone and fax orders. Lab tests are probably the most commonly ordered item in the HL7 world, but radiology and imaging exams are another common HL7 order. Pharmaceuticals and other ancillary test and procedures can also be ordered via HL7. Orders typically originate from the EMR and are sent to a receiving ancillary system (Lab, Radiology, etc.) where the order is filled. Some order interfaces are “bi-directional,” meaning that new and/or updated orders can be sent from the ancillary system as well as from the EMR. For further information about bi-directional interfaces, see below.

Lab Results: An electronic results interface is the one that has the most immediate and visible benefit. Incorporating the results into the EMR eliminates faxing and makes the results available in the right place and right time.

Reports: Radiology reports, discharge summaries, H&P’s and many other clinical documents can be sent via HL7 and are an excellent source of clinical content for your EMR.

Charges: Depending on who is billing for particular services, a charge interface is a useful vehicle for sending information about both professional and technical fees.

Masterfile updates: Although less commonly used, HL7 masterfile interfaces are useful for eliminating dual maintenance of large tables and masterfiles.

Some examples are:

. Physician Master
. Insurance Plan Master
. Charge Master

For questions or to talk about an upcoming project you may have, please Contact Us.