CHAPTER 8 Let’s Do It: How to Implement Your HCM Project 83
Rules for incoming data
For every future system that will send data to the HCM system, interfaces must
be defined, adapted and tested. This not only applies to the HCM system, but also
to the transmitting systems. You should consider the following points:
✔✔Determine the interaction with the data source prior to data reception.
As is known, systems that want to place data in an HCM system have
different
interfaces. Some interfaces send data willy-nilly, while others
expect
a receipt acknowledgement from the HCM system. Such a receipt
acknowledgement
is used by these data sources to perform their individual
processes.
For example, a PACS deletes dispatched data as soon as an HCM
system acknowledges successful delivery. If the interfaces between the
PACS and the HCM system are poorly aligned, there is a risk of data loss.
Another example: an HIS sends documents via HL7 MDM for as long as it
takes for the HCM system to respond. If the response is too slow or absent
entirely, this can lead to a heavy load on the systems or the network. Clarify
such details and test the implementation before going live for each system.
✔✔Specify the handling of incoming data formats.
In general, you should use file formats that are common in medicine, can
be easily displayed and are suitable for long-term archiving. Identify all file
formats that are intended to be stored within your HCM system. Verify that
they conform to those standard formats. If they do not, see if the sending
system can generate a standard format. If this is also not possible, check
whether the HCM system is able to convert the proprietary format to a
standard format using the »format harmonization« component.
In this context, clarify how you want to deal with the original format in
further processes. For example, does the sending system ever need to return
the data in its original format or can it be discarded? Is the original
format suitable for long-term archiving, or should the standard format be
archived in addition? You should answer these questions individually for
each format harmonization.
✔✔Make sure that the patient and case assignments are reliable.
Patients and their cases are identified by unique ID numbers. The HCM
system has already received these numbers from the HIS in the first step.
Ensure that these ID numbers are carried along by all files entering an
HCM system. Only then can the data be used in either the patient or case
context later on. Depending on the linked subsystem, this can become time