We're new to using HL7. Currently we're exchanging HL7 messages over TCP/IP with a standard HL7 TCP/IP Listener/Sender. This all works fine and doesn't pose any problems BUT we're a hosted EMR we have to create and maintain VPNs on our servers to do this.
My question is this. Is there no way that we can bypass the VPN and exchange HL7 messages over the internet (HTTPS) to and from our web services???
I've searched and searched but I can't find any answer one way or another. And please nothing about HL7 version 3 because NOBODY actually seems to use it. My customers are all using HL7 Versions 2.3 to 2.5, have for years and show no inclinations to change.
Answer
HL7 over the internet is fairly new for most healthcare organizations. If you want to reduce complexity and remain completely independent from the client system and/or infrastructure, I’m afraid VPN is your best option. People trust it and it’s fairly easy to deploy.
If you want to get away from a VPN strategy, the system sending you HL7 messages must have the capability to wrap them in HTTPS requests (or some other secure protocol). Very few clinical systems have such off-the-shelf protocol mediation capabilities. If you add an integration engine into the equation, it would help you translate TCP and LLP to HTTPS communication. You could deploy this integration capability as a solution component at the customer site but, often, it introduces new complexity and costs.
If you find viable alternatives, let me know… ;-)