Tip 19 in the Interoperability Tip Series
Throughout the Interoperability Tip Series, we’ve stressed the need to complement the message structure and and content details from HL7 profiles with good process and workflow maps for future interfacing asset management. Earlier in the Interoperability Tip Series, Tip 4 emphasized the importance of mapping out the message process and workflow from the very beginning to kick off the planning of an interoperability project.
If you’ve documented your systems and taken the time to map processes and workflows, it’ll be easier to connect the next system because you won’t need to start from scratch. Workflows also impact your test plan. For instance, all your destination systems might require different inputs from a single source system. As part of your scoping and requirements planning, you’ll need to understand the workflow – for instance, who does what: a physician, a nurse, or a pharmacist? Capturing workflow is also critical for network monitoring down the road so, for example, your IT team will know right away when a system goes down what workflows and processes are affected.
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