Software vendors get visibility of e-health
8 December, 2008. Healthcare software vendors will be able to view the messaging protocols for a nationwide e-health environment, following the publication of a suite of technical specifications today.
The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has published specifications for both messaging and connectivity architecture which underpin the approach to e-health communications for NEHTA's e-Pathology, e-Discharge Summary, e-Referral and e-Medications Management.
“The specifications define the technical protocols by which messages will be transported and secured and the means by which parties will identify, locate and connect to each other," said Chief Executive Peter Fleming.
The specifications relate to those aspects of e-health communication which will apply in a common way across all of NEHTA packages.
They are accompanied by a range of supporting material, including example implementations and implementation guides, which are designed to assist organisations seeking to adopt and apply the specifications.
“The specifications have been the culmination of several years of effort by NEHTA to develop an approach to e-health communication that is interoperable, secure, open, robust, reliable, and adaptable to future needs," Mr Fleming said.
NEHTA has conducted extensive investigation and testing as well as consulted with various stakeholders, including Medicare Australia, State health departments and vendors of messaging systems and practice management systems, to ensure the specifications are of the highest possible standard.
“Adoption of these specifications will enable healthcare organisations to communicate in a standardised way which will apply across Australia, rather than being limited to the scope of the messaging technology used by a particular party," Mr Fleming said.
One of NEHTA's objectives in developing these specifications was to ensure that they would be applicable to parties with a broad range of technical capabilities. They have been designed to apply equally to parties who are able to provide the technical capacity themselves and to those who wish to have this capacity provided on their behalf by others.
The specifications and supporting material are available from the NEHTA website here. Comments or questions are welcomed through the email link on the website. NEHTA will follow up this release with technical education and assistance for parties seeking to implement the specifications. It is recommended that interested parties attend a technical seminar (dates to be announced) or contact the Secure Messaging team at NEHTA to discuss how assistance may be provided.