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    Health Level Seven (HL7) connections with PIERS

    What is Bidirectional Data Exchange via HL7

    HL7 connections with PIERS enable direct data exchange between Pennsylvania’s immunization registry and provider EHR systems. With an HL7 connection established, immunizations recorded in healthcare provider EHR systems can be transmitted to the registry, and patient records can be updated with past immunizations recorded in the registry.

    New connections for automatic data exchange with PIERS must complete HL7 testing with our HL7 support team. EHR vendor support is required to configure the connection and complete testing.

    Providers and clinics interested in submitting HL7 messages to PIERS for patient immunization administration information are encouraged to do the following:

    Step 1 – Get your organization established in PIERS. 

    To use PIERS, you must register your facility with the Pennsylvania Immunization Registry. To register a clinic, please use the PIERS Clinic Creation and Reporting Update Portal

    There are three options available:

    • New Clinic Creation Request (for clinics that do not exist in PIERS):
      • If the requested clinic already exists in PIERS, PIERS Staff will reach out to contacts listed in the form and assess the request prior to clinic creation.
      • The requester will be asked to identify the clinic’s reporting type –HL7 or manual entry. If your organization (healthcare system) is already reporting immunizations through an existing EHR connection to PIERS, the HL7 Interface with Electronic Health Record (EHR) option should always be selected.
    • New HL7 Interface for an Existing PIERS Clinic (for clinics that exist in PIERS but do not have an assigned HL7 facility code):
      This form is used to create new facility codes for clinics that already exist in PIERS, including existing organizations (healthcare systems) that are onboarding for HL7 reporting.
    • Update to HL7 Technical Contact: this form would be used to update HL7 technical contacts at the clinic (or healthcare system) level.
    • This request should be submitted between 7-15 days from the date you plan to start PIERS testing (as outlined in Step 3 below).  PIERS Staff will email the contacts listed in the form with required information and next steps.

    Your facility will be assigned a clinic ID as part of the enrollment process.

    Step 2 – Become familiar with HL7 standards. 

    HL7 v.2.5.1 Release 1.5 is the standard format for submitting HL7 messages to PIERS. The following resources will assist you in becoming familiar with our standards.

    PIERS HL7 Testing Documents

    Additional HL7 Resources

    New interfaces are encouraged to utilize PA's customized NIST tool to self-test the quality of HL7 messages. View the NIST tool. See the SOAP Guide Accessing the HL7 Web Service​ on how to use this tool.

    The following resource will provide configuration details compatible with the NIST tool:

    Step 3 – Begin testing and submitting HL7 messages in the PIERS QA environment by using the credentials assigned to your clinic.

    Upon successful message exchange with PIERS, providers are encouraged to review message responses for errors and warnings indicated.

    Step 4 – Request that a Registry Specialist review your HL7 messages to complete UAT testing. 

    Once you have successfully conducted your testing in Step 5, send an email to RA-DHPIERSHL7@PA.GOV to request that a registry specialist be assigned to support you through the final steps of UAT testing.

    Step 5 – Promotion to the PIERS Production environment. 

    Once you have successfully completed testing in the PIERS QA environment, the registry specialist will verify your clinic ID and provide you with credentials to transmit HL7 messages to PIERS.