Understanding HL7 Messaging Specifications

Message specifications define the layout of the HL7 records that Vocera Platform expects to receive from a Health Information System (HIS) at a customer site.

Vocera HL7 Messaging Specifications

Health Level Seven (HL7) and its members provide a framework (and related standards) for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. These standards define how information is packaged and communicated from one party to another, setting the language, structure and data types required for seamless integration between systems. HL7 standards support clinical practice and the management, delivery, and evaluation of health services, and are recognized as the most commonly used in the world. Source: HL7.org

This messaging specification guide is based on the HL7 version 2.X Standard for HL7 message types such as ADT (Admit, Discharge, Transfer), ORM (Order), ORU (Observation) and RAS (Treatment Administration) which are to be sent to the Vocera Platform application by a Health Information System (HIS). This specification contains the minimum requirements for these commonly used HL7 trigger events within the Vocera Platform application. This list is not exhaustive; should a site utilize an HL7 message type not listed here, refer to this external source for trigger event construct guidance: HL7-Definitions-Caristix.com

The message specifications in this documentation define the layout of the HL7 records that Vocera Platform expects to receive from an HIS. A sender will create an HL7 version 2.X trigger event message. The sender will send the HL7 trigger event message to the Vocera Platform application at the provided IP address and port (6661 by default) in accordance to the Minimum Lower Layer Protocol (MLLP). The library that Vocera Platform uses to recognize HL7 messages is based on version 2.6, allowing recognition of most inbound HL7 messages.

Outbound messages can be optionally customized and enabled upon request. Vocera Platform creates these outbound messages to the sender using HL7 version 2.3 by default; if a different HL7 version is required for outbound HL7 messages from Vocera Platform to a customer source, the appropriate version can be specified in the interface property. Configure the "hl7.outbound.version" field in the interface.properties file with the HL7 version needed to implement the appropriate sending HL7 version used.

Trigger Events

The following trigger events are supported by Vocera Platform. Refer to the pages below for details on message segements used by these trigger events.

ADT-A01	Admit / Visit Notification
ADT-A02	Transfer A Patient
ADT-A03	Discharge/End Visit
ADT-A04	Register A Patient
ADT-A05	Pre-admit A Patient
ADT-A06	Change An Outpatient To An Inpatient
ADT-A07	Change An Inpatient To An Outpatient
ADT-A08	Update Patient Information
ADT-A09	Patient Departing - Tracking
ADT-A11	Cancel Admit / Visit Notification
ADT-A12	Cancel Transfer
ADT-A13	Cancel Discharge/ End Visit
ORM-O01	Order Message
ORU-R01	Unsolicited Transmission Of An Observation Message
RAS-O17	Pharmacy/treatment Administration Message