Healthcare Integration Glossary
A plain-language glossary of healthcare integration terms: HL7v2, FHIR, Mirth Connect, ADT, and more.
ADTAdmit, Discharge, Transfer — an HL7v2 message type that tracks patient movement through a healthcare facility.BAABusiness Associate Agreement, a HIPAA-required contract between a covered entity and any vendor that handles protected health information on its behalf.C-CDAConsolidated Clinical Document Architecture, an XML-based standard for structured clinical documents like continuity of care documents and discharge summaries.CDS HooksClinical Decision Support Hooks, a standard for invoking external decision support services from within an EHR workflow at specific trigger points.Clinical Data WarehouseA database optimized for analytics and reporting that aggregates clinical data from EHRs, labs, claims, and other healthcare sources.Consent ManagementThe process of capturing, storing, and enforcing patient consent preferences for how their health data is shared.Direct MessagingA secure, HIPAA-compliant email protocol used to exchange clinical documents (typically C-CDA) between healthcare organizations.EHRElectronic Health Record, a digital system for managing patient medical records, clinical workflows, and documentation.EpicThe largest EHR vendor in the US by market share, headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin.FHIRFast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, a modern RESTful API standard for exchanging healthcare data using JSON or XML resources.HAPI FHIRAn open-source Java implementation of the FHIR specification, providing a FHIR server, client library, and validation tools.Health Information Exchange (HIE)An organization or infrastructure that enables the electronic sharing of clinical data between healthcare organizations in a region or network.HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, US federal law that sets privacy and security standards for protected health information.HL7v2Health Level Seven version 2, a pipe-delimited messaging standard for exchanging clinical data between healthcare systems.ICD-10International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision, a coding system used for billing, epidemiology, and mortality statistics.IHEIntegrating the Healthcare Enterprise, an initiative that defines integration profiles specifying how standards like HL7, FHIR, and DICOM should be used together.Interface EngineSoftware that routes, transforms, and monitors healthcare messages between clinical systems.InteroperabilityThe ability of different healthcare information systems to exchange, interpret, and use clinical data meaningfully.LOINCLogical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, a universal coding system for identifying medical laboratory observations and clinical measurements.MDMMedical Document Management — an HL7v2 message type used to transmit clinical documents like discharge summaries and operative notes.Message QueueA middleware pattern that decouples producers and consumers of healthcare messages, providing buffering, ordering, and delivery guarantees.Mirth ConnectAn open-source healthcare integration engine used to route, transform, and filter HL7v2, FHIR, and other clinical messages between systems.MLLPMinimal Lower Layer Protocol, a TCP-based framing protocol used to transmit HL7v2 messages between healthcare systems.ORMOrder Message — an HL7v2 message type used to place, update, or cancel clinical orders such as lab tests, medications, and imaging.ORUObservation Result Unsolicited — an HL7v2 message type that carries lab results, vitals, and other clinical observations.PHIProtected Health Information, any individually identifiable health information covered by HIPAA privacy and security rules.SMART on FHIRA standard for launching third-party applications inside an EHR using OAuth2 authorization and FHIR data access.SNOMED CTSystematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms, a comprehensive clinical terminology used to code clinical findings, procedures, and diagnoses.Terminology MappingThe process of translating clinical codes between different coding systems or between local codes and standard terminologies.