HL7 Connectathons

For the first time ever HL7 organized an IHE-style connectathon. The initial (FHIR-related) connectathon was successfull - and is likely to be followed by other test events.

FHIR Connectathon

The first ever HL7 connectathon was held on September 8, just prior to the HL7 working Group Meeting. The connectathon was limited to a new HL7 standard called FHIR.

Given that the FHIR standard has a draft status the connectathon wasn't as formal nor as well structured as an IHE connectathon. Future FHIR connectathons and connectathons related to other HL7 existing standards will probably be much more structured and elaborate.

Grahame Grieve, one of the main authors and implementers of the HL7 FHIR standard wrote a connectathon report on his blog. A video report from the connectathon can be found below.

When asked, Duane Bender of Mohawk College in Canada, one of the connectathon participants participating with an iOS based client application stated that he intends to take part in future FHIR-related connectathons: "Sure, I'm really excited by it. I'm personally also a moniter at the IHE connectathon in Chigaco, so I'm very interested in it. Overall I'm very happy that HL7 has decided to do this, I'm a practical person and really appreciate it."

Implementation focus

The mere fact that HL7 has held a connectathon, and that it also plans to hold them in future, shows a reorientation of HL7 towards the implementers/users of its standard. HL7's CEO (Chuck Jaffe) is one of the key supporters of the connectathon and was also present as an observer. Chuck is confident that the connectathon next year will attract at least 4 times as much attendees, and would definitely like to see connectathons related to the other HL7 standards as well.

As a further example of a reorientation towards implementers the HL7 tooling strategy was expanded to include 'user (implementer) tools' in addition to tooling aimed at standards developers.

HL7 freeing up the IP related to its standards (more about that in an upcoming blogpost), and its reorientation towards implementers/users - both are very welcome developments.

-Rene

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Index of columns:

HL7 Version 3 Tooling (Nov 16, 2022)
Bye bye IHE XDS and CDA. (Sep 01, 2021)
Combining the best of IHE XDS with HL7 FHIR (Jun 27, 2019)
FHIR DevDays and the year in review (Dec 27, 2018)
Creation and Curation of FHIR Profiles - process and governance (Dec 14, 2017)
Impact of the GDPR on the use of interoperability standards (Jun 27, 2017)
Next XDS Release (Oct 27, 2016)
Five years of FHIR (Aug 11, 2016)
Update from the trenches on CDA R2.1/R3 and HL7v2. (Oct 15, 2015)
Most often implemented IHE Profiles (Jun 08, 2015)
Mapping HL7v2 messages to FHIR. (Apr 13, 2015)
Recent and Future developments of the DICOM standard (Mar 06, 2014)
Documenting the history of HL7 (Sep 03, 2013)
Interoperability Standards - the no-sales pitch (Jul 09, 2013)
CDA Implementation Guides - (not) invented here (Apr 17, 2013)
Usage of IHE Profiles (Feb 25, 2013)
10 year anniversary - Dutch Ringholm HL7 v2 training courses. (Feb 19, 2013)
HL7 Connectathons (Sep 09, 2012)
Frequency of use of HL7 message types (Jul 24, 2012)
Reflections on the HL7 membership model - the affiliate life cycle (Dec 28, 2011)
RFH (Resources for Health): HL7 version 3 taken to the next step (Aug 18, 2011)
Timezone Hotel (Mar 29, 2011)
The changing role of HL7 country organizations (Jul 16, 2010)
How to lower the hurdle for HL7 v3 implementers (Jan 21, 2010)
The HL7 roadmap for CDA R3 and the CCD (Jan 17, 2009)
HL7 based Tree inventory system (Jan 30, 2007)
Workflow Bribery (Sep 15, 2006)

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