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Bringing (Massive) Model-based XML Specifications to Ballot

Liora Alschuler <liora@the-word-electric.com>
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ABSTRACT

Virtually every industry sector is turning to the XML standardization process to provide coherence to their online transactions and electronic commerce. Health Level Seven (HL7) has just brought to ballot a comprehensive and cohesive set of message specifications derived through a rigourous methodology from a core UML model. The ballot is based on a single Reference Information Model (RIM) and contains over 275 specific message types. These message types support over 250 trigger events used in over 360 specified interactions involving 190 application roles and using over 30 "common" message element types and supported by over 150 story-boards. Unlike the approach of some standards groups, this project is not an XML-ification of a previous EDI standard, rather, it is a from-the-ground-up, model-based approach to a comprehensive and maintainable set of specifications.

While the Reference Information Model and methodology have been in development since 1996 (pre-dating XML -- the original concept was to develop an industry-specific exchange syntax), the actual ballotable specifications were written and published in just four months.

This presentation will review the HL7 objectives and methodology concentrating on "lessons learned" and open questions. If time permits, it will also review the ballot publication process which used XML extensively.

Table of Contents

1. Complete paper unavailable

1. Complete paper unavailable

This presenter's paper was not received in time to be included in the proceedings.

Biography

Liora Alschuler
Consultant
alschuler.spinosa
East Thetford
Vermont
U.S.A.
Email: liora@the-word-electric.com

Liora is a consultant working with vendors, providers and standards organizations on the application of structured information technology (XML) to the electronic health record. She is the author of ABCD... SGML: A User's Guide to Structured Information, ITCP, 1995. Ms. Alschuler and Dr. John Spinosa have a consulting partnership known as alschuler.spinosa which specialize in the application of structured markup to healthcare information.

Liora is currently Co-chair, HL7 Structured Documents Technical Committee, developing document-centered, XML-based exchange specifications for heatlhcare. She is also the Board-appointed Chair of the HL7 Marketing Committee. She is Project Manager for the HL7 HIMSS demos 1999-2002 coordinating multiple applications in a Proof of Concept exchange network using the next generation of HL7 XML-based specifications. She was the Project Manager for Operation Jumpstart which created the Kona Architecture, a proposal for scaleable exchange of SGML-encoded clinical records, the prototype for HL7's Clinical Document Architecture (ANSI/HL7 CDA R1.0-2000). She has spoken on hypertext, XML and HL7 at local, regional, national, and international conferences.