Lesson 01.04
Healthcare Data Integration
EDITORIALLY REVIEWEDHealthcare data integration is the technical work of connecting systems and moving information between them.
An integration may validate, filter, transform, map, and route data so the receiving application gets the format and values it expects.
Connected hospital systems
An integration hub exchanges agreed information with clinical and administrative systems. Follow this lesson's diagram for the actual processing boundaries and sequence.
View original illustration ↗Illustrative scene from the HL7 image library. See the lesson for the technical explanation.What an integration engine does
- Receive the message from the sending system.
- Validate that required data is present and correctly formatted.
- Filter messages that should not continue on this route.
- Transform fields or convert the message into another format.
- Map local values to values understood by the destination.
- Route the final message to one or more receiving systems.
- Record success or an error for support staff.
Real-World Example: Sending a discharge to pharmacy
The EHR uses the location code 4W, while the pharmacy expects WEST-4. The integration engine reads Ronaldo's discharge message and changes the location value before sending it onward.
- EHR sends ADT^A03 with location 4W
- Integration engine validates patient and visit
- Mapping changes 4W to WEST-4
- Pharmacy receives its expected value
- ACK confirms processing
Key Concept
Integration is the technical movement and preparation of data. Interoperability is the larger goal: systems understand and use that data correctly.
Practice this topic
What is healthcare data integration?
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Healthcare Data Integration
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