HL7 changes name to embrace global perspective
Health Level Seven (HL7) has changed its name to Health Level Seven International to represent its focus on the development of global health IT standards.
The name change completes the process that began one year ago when the board of directors discussed changing the name to reflect the adoption of HL7 in many countries and the growing number of HL7 standards that are being published as international standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Recently, HL7’s EHR System Functional Model, Release 1.1 became an international standard approved by the ISO in the fourth quarter of 2009. The EHR-S Functional Model had international input from clinicians, vendors, health information management and health IT professionals, as well as privacy and security officers that practice in various care settings throughout HL7 affiliates and ISO participating national member bodies.
A number of countries and institutions are already using or plan to use HL7’s EHR-S Functional Model, including the Netherlands, Japan South Korea and Thailand. Work is underway on the release of the EHR-S Functional Model Release 2, which will be a global standard. HL7’s Version 2.5 messaging standard, approved as an ISO standard in June 2009, allows interoperability between EHR systems, practice management systems, laboratory IT systems, dietary, pharmacy and billing systems.
The name change completes the process that began one year ago when the board of directors discussed changing the name to reflect the adoption of HL7 in many countries and the growing number of HL7 standards that are being published as international standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Recently, HL7’s EHR System Functional Model, Release 1.1 became an international standard approved by the ISO in the fourth quarter of 2009. The EHR-S Functional Model had international input from clinicians, vendors, health information management and health IT professionals, as well as privacy and security officers that practice in various care settings throughout HL7 affiliates and ISO participating national member bodies.
A number of countries and institutions are already using or plan to use HL7’s EHR-S Functional Model, including the Netherlands, Japan South Korea and Thailand. Work is underway on the release of the EHR-S Functional Model Release 2, which will be a global standard. HL7’s Version 2.5 messaging standard, approved as an ISO standard in June 2009, allows interoperability between EHR systems, practice management systems, laboratory IT systems, dietary, pharmacy and billing systems.