What is an HL7 Interface?
HL7 stands for Health Level 7, which is a group that defines information standards in healthcare. When people talk about HL7, they usually mean the Reference Information Model, or RIM. This is just a list of pieces of information stored and transferred by healthcare systems. When people or products say that they are HL7-compatible, they mean that they are agreeing to use this same list. An HL7 Interface is an interface that uses this same list, allowing different computer systems to communicate with each other. Many larger computer systems will only allow communication through an HL7 interface. Although it can be good to have a standardized interface, an HL7 interface sometimes requires a dedicated PC. The interface can also require communication through specific IP ports. Because HL7 can be used for many types of data exchange, an HL7 interface can be complex.
