title: High standards. The formidable task of adopting HL7 standards is easier with the right tools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The hospital needed a strategy to integrate the HL7 standard into its facility. Because HL7 is flexible and subject to many interpretations, speaking HL7 is not a simple turnkey process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full HL7 functionality was achieved systematically and incrementally with the installation of an interface engine plus HL7 tools with end-point communication simulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HL7 messaging simulation tools let technicians deliver better interfaces with fewer errors for less money.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A robust interface engine and third-party tools can lead the way for successful adoption of the protocol.
authors.affiliation: Dominican Santa Cruz Hospital, Santa Cruz, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lira
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000592:standards*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D008283:Maintenance; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D018511:Systems Integration; D014584:User-Computer Interface