Standards Group To Adopt, Maintain EHR Data Format
Health Level 7, a health standards development organization, will adopt and maintain an electronic health record data format that was funded and developed by the California HealthCare Foundation, Health IT Strategist reports (Robeznieks, Health IT Strategist, 12/20).
The EHR data format, called EHR-Lab Interoperability and Connectivity Specification, enables standardized test results reporting between clinician labs and physician office EHR systems. ELINCS also will let providers electronically receive clinical data and will make EHR data searchable, according to a CHCF press release.
National health IT vendors and California health care organizations in 2006 were involved in pilot ELINCS implementation, which determined that the standard would be useful and "widely applicable" for the electronic reporting of lab results, according to CHCF. ELINCS also is expected to reduce expensive redundancies in clinics and connect EHR systems with lab vendor information systems.
After HL7 adopts ELINCS, it will be responsible for maintaining and further developing ELINCS, as it migrates to a new HL7 standard (CHCF press release, 12/19).
Jason DuBois, the American Clinical Laboratory Association vice president for government relations, said the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT asked CHCF to take responsibility for ELINCS. He added that it makes sense for HL7 to assume responsibility for ELINCS because CHCF is not a standard-setting body and lacks the necessary resources to continue to play long-term role in its development, Health IT Strategist reports.
ELINCS was developed by a collaborative of California laboratories, payers and providers organized by CHCF (Health IT Strategist, 12/20).