Messaging
PHIN Messaging
Standard messages and associated vocabularies are a critical part of ensuring interoperability among public
health systems as well as ensuring that public health systems can work with health care, environmental,
homeland defense, and other external systems and networks. Implementing standard messages is a key strategy
for the Public Health Information Network (PHIN).
PHIN Messaging Work Products
There are several different artifacts created to support and manage the message specification. These artifacts
or work products contain information about a specific message that a public health partner can use to support
their implementation of PHIN requirements and/or recommendations for messaging and interoperability of
information systems.
The key objectives for the new messaging work products are to:
- Create work products that address the needs of specific work groups [programs vs. technical groups]
- Ensure message standards conformance for each message specification
- Embrace reusability of the message specification where applicable
Messaging Work Product descriptions:
- View the Guides
- Messaging Use Case - Describes the data flow requirements for messaging exchange and guides the development
of the Message Structure Specification.
- Message Structure Specification - Describes in detail the structure of a message which is determined by the
Messaging Use Case. NOTE: This is a “transition” document which will eventually be replaced with a Message Profile that is
produced out of Messaging Workbench.
- Message Profile - Describes the detailed static structure of a specific message and contains the HL7
segments, fields, components and subcomponents supported in the message. Optional elements may be included
to support specific use cases. In HL7 terms, the message profile is a constrainable profile due to the
inclusion of optional elements.
- Message Mapping Guide - Provides for the mapping of a Program’s data elements of interest into the
appropriate message specification fields and ensures the use of PHIN standard vocabularies.
- Messaging Vocabulary - Initiates PHIN Vocabulary Registration & Reconciliation process for uploading into
PHIN VADS which is organized into a specific Messaging Guide “view” structure.
Messaging Collaboration Workspace
The Messaging Collaboration space on the PHIN Forum was created to allow partners the opportunity to
review and provide feedback about the content of the PHIN messaging work products and to discuss other
messaging topics of interest. The PHIN Messaging Team is focused on an effort to implement a consistent
process for presenting draft versions of message documents to partners for review and feedback prior to
publishing to the PHIN website. The partner review and feedback process for each draft work product includes
a 30-day review period after which changes are recorded, impact assessed, and either approved, deferred, or
rejected. To accommodate deferred and/or ongoing changes, a finalized messaging work product document will
begin a 6-month release cycle (as needed). Information about the new messaging work products and the review
process can be found under the PHIN-Messaging Collaboration-Discussion about Messaging folder.
We invite you to access PHIN Forum using the link to the left and familiarize yourself with the Messaging Collaboration folder
structure and available information.
