TCP/IP HL7 V3 Adapter Collaborations

HL7 V3, like V2.x, is a standard for exchanging messages among information systems that implement healthcare applications. However, V3 strives to improve the V2 process and its outcomes. The original process for defining HL7 messages was established in 1987. It has served well since. However, as HL7 membership grew and its standards became more widely used, HL7 has become aware of opportunities to revolutionize healthcare interface computing. HL7 interfaces substantially reduce costs and implementation times when compared to the industry's experience with proprietary interfaces. The development principles behind HL7 V3 lead to a more robust, fully specified standard.

V3 introduces a new approach to HL7 message development.

While the HL7 V2 standard was created mostly by clinical interface specialists, the V3 standard has been influenced strongly by work from volunteers representing the government and medical informatist users. This means that the level of formal modeling, complexity, and internal consistency is radically higher in V3 when compared to V2.

To assist with the comprehension of this new approach, the domain begins with a high-level overview and progressively drill down to lower levels of messaging detail (including storyboards, applications roles, trigger events, D-MIMs, R-MIMs, HMDs, message types, and interactions). Since a big picture understanding of the particular domain is crucial to understanding the messages defined within it, each domain provides a Storyboard.