User-Defined Tables

Implementation Checklist

HL7 Parser/Builder Toolkits

• ActiveX Control version of HL7IMEXA

Gary Gallagher has written an ActiveX implementation of Allen Rueter's parser/builder. There is HTML documentation here.


• ProtoGenHL7 (Gunter Schadow's home page)

Gunter Schadow, now at Regenstrief Institute, has developed a C++ class generator called ProtoGenHL7. Gunther has provided some documentation in HTML here.


• HAPI Open-Source HL7 2.x Parser

HAPI (HL7 application programming interface) is an open-source, object-oriented HL7 2.x parser. The project was initiated by some people at University Health Network (a large multi-site teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada).


• Giessen University Hospital's parser, builder and Java library

Johannes Mueller has rewritten Allen Reuter's HL7IMEXA in Microsoft Visual C++ and Centura SqlWindows. He has added a communications component for Winsock TCP/IP. His package consists of pre-compiled executables and DLLs for Windows 95/NT and includes editable configuration files. He has also written an HL7 message library in Java.


• Regenstrief's xHL7 Reader

This is an org.xml.sax.XMLReader that can parse HL7 v2 into an XML format and a growing number of XSLT transforms for common tasks and demos of what one can do with this.


• Sentillion's Vergence SDK

The Vergence SDK simplifies and accelerates the process of implementing the current HL7 CCOW standard in both Web and Windows applications. Hundreds of vendors and provider organizations in the United States and abroad have used the Vergence SDK to achieve swift, easy CCOW compliance. To find out more about the Vergence SDK, visit http://www.sentillion.com/demos/demos.asp


• Washington University's HL7IMEXA toolkit

Allen Rueter's update of HL7IMEX. It reads in the HL7 messsage, segment, and field definitions from flat files at execution time.

New-Technology Tools by Companies and Consortia

• Carefx Fusionfx Context Manager and the Context Management Solutions Suite
  
  
  • Supports HL7 standard context management capabilities
  • Provides single sign-on and enhances patient safety
  • Features scalable and open system architecture
  
  Overview
  Context Management Solutions consists of the Fusionfx^tm family of products and services, including Fusionfx Context Manager,^tm Fusionfx User Mapping Agent,^tm Fusionfx Patient Mapping Agent^tm and Fusionfx Context Channel.^tm The Fusionfx Context Manager coordinates many different healthcare applications on a desktop, creating a user driven, patient-centered information workspace by implementing the HL7 CCOW interoperability standard for:
  
  
  • Providing single and simultaneous sign-on and common patient selection to multiple applications
  • Augmenting patient safety by matching context within applications to avoid minor errors
  • Reducing help desk costs and enhancing security due to a single username and password
  • Integrating with the existing LDAP infrastructure without requiring a separate directory
  • Supporting fat client, Citrix / WTS-enabled, and Web-based applications

• Eversolve Medi7

The Medi7 Parser Toolkit is an HL7 parsing toolkit that supports dynamic message composition for a variety of platform including Java, .Net (C#), C++, VC++ (6/7), Borland, Linux and Solaris). In addition to this toolkit, Eversolve also has a set of turn-key adapters intended to enable closed applications for interoperability.
• iNTERFACEWARE HL7 Chameleon

iNTERFACEWARE produce HL7 Chameleon, an HL7 toolkit which uses an intermediate nested data structure interface which can be mapped to different HL7 implementations. A copy of the software can be downloaded from their site.
• InterSystems Ensemble

InterSystems Ensemble provides fast HL7 interface development, high speed and highly reliable messaging, and advanced features to meet the most complex integration challenges. Ensemble has been ranked the #1 interface engine in healthcare three years in a row by KLAS. Additional information can be found at http://www.intersystems.com/hl7/
• LINK Medical Computing, Inc. Toolkits for Building/Parsing HL7 Messages

LINK Medical Computing, Inc. specializes in providing Health Level Seven (HL7) integration tools and solutions to the healthcare industry. The LINKTools Interface Development Kit (IDK) is a cost-effective HL7 integration toolkit that allows Vendors, Developers, Hospital IT administrators and consultants to rapidly "interface enable" their applications and systems without programming. More information on our toolkit can be found at http://www.linkmed.com
• NeoTool
  NeoTool provides NeoEnable for HL7, which the company describes as a commercial ActiveX parser and encoder for HL7. Related products are NeoConnect, NeoExtract, and NeoBrowse. NeoBrowse formats HL7 messages for easy viewing and is available for free download.

• Open Health Tools

Open Health Tools is an open source community with a vision of enabling a ubiquitous ecosystem where members of the Health and IT professions can collaborate to build interoperable systems that enable patients and their care providers to have access to vital and reliable medical information at the time and place it is needed. Open Health Tools will generate a vibrant active ecosystem involving software product and service companies, medical equipment companies, health care providers, insurance companies, government health service agencies, and standards organizations.
• Orion Systems Symphonia

This page gives information about Orion's Symphonia product, described as a universal messaging toolkit. It can be down-loaded from the Orion site for a short-term trial.

Sample Implementations

• Duke University documentation and examples