Health Level Seven (HL7) is the organization behind the health messaging standard commonly referred to as HL7. HL7 2.x is a proprietary standard with numerous optional parts and extensions while HL7 3.x is XML based. Libraries and parsers are available that work with both.
The HL7 2.x standards are extensive and are the product of an inclusive approach. HL7 3.x is to some extent a reaction to the problems with 2.x, using XML and a more prescriptive approach. New implementers are urged to start with a library and if using 2.x look at what exactly their endpoints emit and accept as the standard is so broad that a complete implementation is unlikely to be feasible.
Key links
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Level_7
- http://www.hl7.org
- http://www.hl7.org.au/ (especially http://www.hl7.org.au/HL7-Tools.htm)
Descriptions of Problems
