Selecting, Supporting, and Maintaining HL7 Messaging for the LRN Labs: the LIMS Integration Project

Data exchange is the act of sharing information (data) between two or more informatics systems following agreed-to format and context rules.  Within the context of Public Health, data exchange is enabled following various standards, primarily healthcare standards such as HL7, while also following new and emerging standards and directives including the directives and guidance of the Federal Government.  The exchange of standards-based public health data within a network of interoperable systems is a primary goal of PHIN.  This presentation will illustrate how the LIMS Integration Project (LIMSi) provides processes, interactions, and direction to ensure that the LRN program and member labs are able to exchange data in a manner consistent with standards and directives.

This presentation will provide an overview of the processes, collaborating groups, standards, and other influences the LIMSi project uses to enable, support, and maintain standards-based data exchange for the LRN programs and the LRN labs.

After setting the history and purpose of the LIMSi project, the presentation will describe the collaborative processes LIMSi uses to assist LRN members with standards-based data exchange.  The presentation will describe the LIMSi workgroups and subgroups, involvement with HL7 and other Standard Development Organizations (SDOs), and interactions with PHIN and other projects.

Additional information will be shared to describe the methods and deliverables of the LIMSi project and the collaborative approach that CDC, LRN member laboratories and several LIMS vendors are taking.

Finally, the presentation will include an update on the future messaging direction and requirements of the LIMS Integration effort and the planned collaborations to enable these requirements.