How Do I Get a Copy of the HL7 Specification / Manual?
October 20th, 2006 by Dave Shaver
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted in HL7 Messaging, HL7 Standards, HL7 Standard, HL7 Integration
One of the first challenges when researching HL7 interfaces and connectivity is answering the question, “How do download a copy of the HL7 standard specification?” The unfortunate answer is that there is no free copy of the HL7 manual. You purchase the document from the HL7 standards organization.
To get the HL7 specification / guide, visit the official HL7 web site. The cost for the reference will vary based on what version(s) of HL7 you want. Figure spending around $500 if you not a member of HL7.
If you are a technical type — software developer, product manager, clinical application installer, etc. — it seems “wrong” that a standard should cost money. The need to purchase the standard is much different than the approach taken by so many other broad Internet standards.
In the more vertical standards world, often you have to purchase the handbook documents; they are not available for free. Whether it is X.12 (for HIPAA standards) or ASTM (for the CCR standard), you need to plunk down your credit card to get the guidebook.
HL7 tools, such as an HL7 message examination tool, can drastically help reduce the dependency on the paper standard. However, any software tool is not a replacement for the standard itself – the browser (or interface engine) only augments the narrative found in the standard proper. That is, an HL7 integration tool can tell you that “PID-8″ is the patient’s gender or that an ADT A01 transaction is an inpatient admission, but you’ll need the HL7 specification proper to help understand the intent of the message.
In addition to the formal specification, you’ll need your vendor’s HL7 specification. This implementation guide tells you what choices a vendor has made in their HL7 interface. How a vendor implements HL7 messaging is as interesting as the formal specification.
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[…] Chapter 1 of the HL7 standard Version 2.3 states that “HL7 provides a common framework for implementing interfaces between disparate vendors”. The standard is intentionally flexible; designed to allow customization but inhibits ‘plug and play’ implementations. […]
[…] Chapter 1 of the HL7 standard Version 2.3 states that “HL7 provides a common framework for implementing interfaces between disparate vendors”. The standard is intentionally flexible; designed to allow customization but inhibits ‘plug and play’ implementations. […]
[…] An application development or implementation team may adjust the HL7 messaging standard to better support their application or system. Sometimes these adjustments make the message format used by that application noncompliant with the HL7 standard. […]
Hello,
I was wondering how I would get a copy of the
HL7 specifications.
Thank you!
Scott Robertson
You are welcome. Keep in mind that HL7 2.7 is under development and will be “final” in Sep ‘08 or Jan ‘09. Ultimately when the final docs are available via hl7.org will depend on publishing schedules.
Hello Dave,
If I purchase a copy of the HL7 specifications say, version 2.3, when 2.7 comes out, will I have to purchase another one or will the updates be covered in the intitial costs?
Thank you!
Scott
Scott:
Thanks for your note. Unless you are a member of HL7, you will not receive a free update to your previously-purchased 2.3 specification. In short, aa non-member purchasing specifications, you buy the version(s) you need. As new releases come out, you buy them as needed.
As an HL7 member, you will receive updated specifications more-or-less as they are approved by ANSI. In addition, you will be able to download 1) all of the pre-release versions and review them before they are final, and 2) the “final” versions of the specification before they are approved by ANSI (which is mostly just a rubber stamp anyway).
There are two levels of membership — Organizational and Individual. Each has different benefits and they are described pretty well here: http://www.hl7.org/Membership
Ultimately if you are a company that is working with HL7, you effectively need to have the Organizational membership. This gives you the right to share the specification among your team and the right to publish your own specification for your application.
Without the Organizational membership, you do NOT have the right to “distribute excerpts of the standard to customers.” This means that you would be unable to publish a specification.
Thank you for your reply Dave.
I was wondering if there was a number I could reach you at to discuss some other questions that I have.
Best Regards,
Scott Robertson
Absolutely. Please call the main NeoTool number at 469-229-5000 and ask for me. Or shoot an email to us at sales@neotool.com and that will be forwarded to me.
Thanks!