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Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE)


Health care and health information professionals collaborating to improve information sharing between health care technology systems.
Members: 269
Contact: David Kwan
Type: Open
Access: Public
Health care and health information professionals collaborating to improve information sharing between health care technology systems.

About

What is IHE? IHE is an initiative by healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE promotes the coordinated use of established standards such as DICOM and HL7 to address specific clinical needs in support of optimal patient care. Systems developed in accordance with IHE communicate with one another better, are easier to implement, and enable care providers to use information more effectively. Physicians, medical specialists, nurses, administrators and other care providers require vital information be passed seamlessly from system to system within and across departments and made readily available at the point of care, in other words enabling systems interoperability. IHE is designed to make this a reality by improving the state of systems integration and removing barriers to optimal patient care.

Why is IHE needed? Optimal patient care requires efficient access to all relevant information. Despite the advanced state of technology, however, healthcare enterprises have not yet begun to realize the full potential of computer systems to reduce medical errors, improve the efficiency of care providers and enhance the overall quality of clinical care. To do so requires a framework for information sharing that meets the needs of care providers as well as patients–and gains acceptance among the companies that build the systems they rely on.

Standards provide the basis for such a framework, but alone do not solve the problem. In any standard there are gaps, options, room for conflicting interpretations. No standard maps perfectly to the complex and ever-changing information domain of a healthcare enterprise. Filling the gap between standards and systems integration has, until now, required expensive, site-specific interface development. To close that gap a process for building a detailed framework for the implementation of standards is needed. IHE provides that process.

Who is IHE? IHE is sponsored by associations of healthcare professionals around the world and has welcomed participation by many of the leading manufacturers of imaging and information systems. Volunteer members of these associations, including clinicians and other care providers, healthcare executives and information technology experts, play a key role in guiding the development of IHE and determining priorities for integration. They collaborate with vendor representatives to identify obstacles to integration and optimal care and remove them by developing and implementing standards-based solutions for information sharing.

IHE International, the organization overseeing the development and publication of IHE Technical Frameworks worldwide, is sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). IHE has expanded continually and developed strong international support. Canada Health Infoway is an IHE Benefactor member, committing to IHE’s mission, independence and sustainability.

How do I use IHE? How you use IHE depends on your specific role and your specific needs. Clinicians and administrators should be aware of the clinical and operational benefits that can be realized through IHE Integration Profiles and encourage their departments to demand those capabilities when acquiring or upgrading systems. Information technology professionals should know how to use IHE Integration Profiles in RFPs and purchasing agreements and should familiarize themselves with sections of the Technical Framework that describe interfaces between systems under their supervision. Specifying IHE integration content as requirements specifications, along with conformance testing reduces risk and frames vendor accountability. Healthcare information technology solution developers and systems integrators should have a detailed knowledge of the sections of the Technical Framework relevant to their systems, these technical resources are developed to address clinical and informatics use cases in the real world.

If IHE is about achieving a common language for integration, then an analogy can be made to how one uses various resources to understand a foreign language…

Standards such as DICOM and HL7 provide the vocabulary and basic grammar for the language of integration. The Technical Framework organizes these elements somewhat like a language textbook, fitting together the most relevant pieces and eliminating confusion and ambiguity. Integration Profiles are like a phrase book for essential communications. They further organize the language to enable vendors and purchasers to communicate about systems integration-even if DICOM or HL7 is not their native language.

IHE can make systems integration faster, more efficient, less expensive and more successful. Standards-based integration solutions like those defined in IHE are flexible, durable, easier to implement and less expensive to maintain than proprietary methods. Achieving systems integration through IHE is a dramatic step toward providing optimal patient care.

IHE Process - Engaging HIT Stakeholders in a Proven Process

IHE brings together users and developers of healthcare information technology (HIT) in an annually recurring four-step process:

1. Clinical and technical experts define critical use cases for information sharing.

2. Technical experts create detailed specifications for communication among systems to address these use cases, selecting and optimizing established standards.

3. Industry implements these specifications called IHE Profiles in HIT systems.

4. IHE tests vendors’ systems at carefully planned and supervised events called Connectathons.

IHE_Process_Map

Integration Profiles: A Framework for Interoperability

IHE Profiles provide a standards-based framework for sharing information within care sites and across networks. They address critical interoperability issues related to information access for care providers and patients, clinical workflow, security, administration and information infrastructure. Each profile defines the actors, transactions and information content required to address the clinical use case by referencing appropriate standards.

See capsule descriptions of current IHE profiles in each domain. IHE Profiles are compiled into IHE Technical Frameworks-detailed technical documents that serve as implementation guides and Technical Frameworks freely available online.

Connectathons: Testing Interoperability and Conformance

IHE has been testing the interoperability of HIT systems for more than a decade. At IHE Connectathons held regularly in several locations internationally, trained technical experts supervise testing of vendor systems, making use of advanced testing software developed by IHE and several partner organizations. More than 250 vendors worldwide have implemented and tested products with IHE capabilities.

What is the InfoCentral IHE Canada Community?

The InfoCentral IHE Canada Community is a place where health care professionals, the health information industry, and government administrators collaborate to improve the way health care technologies and systems share information.

To become a member of this community select Join Group in the Group Menu.

If you have an idea for a subject, a community working group or project that will drive interoperability forward, let us know! Send your suggestions

LEADER

David Kwan, IHE Canada Chair
(Insygnia Consulting Inc.)

KEY RESOURCES

IHE Resources

Activity

Michael Joy joined a group

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Logo
Health care and health information professionals collaborating to improve information sharing between health care technology systems.
We’re excited to share a major milestone for interoperability in Canada! Infoway’s FHIR-capable Terminology Server is now fully integrated with HL7 International’s FHIR tooling ecosystem. This integration streamlines access to Infoway-hosted terminologies, making it easier for standards specialists, vendors, and conformance testers to ensure consistent and accurate terminology use. With this integration, users can now directly access Infoway-hosted code systems and value sets for Implementation Guides (IGs) and validation processes, which ensures consistent, accurate terminology use while reducing effort and errors. Key Benefits: Seamless Access: Canadian terminologies, like SNOMED CT CA, are instantly available in the HL7 tooling ecosystem upon publication. Enhanced Conformance Testing: Testers can validate directly against Infoway-hosted terminologies, simplifying events like the IHE NA Connectathon or Pan-Canadian Projectathon. Efficiency & Accuracy: Automatic updates eliminate delays and manual effort, reducing errors. Getting Started: To configure HL7 tools, you’ll need an ... from Infoway. Supported versions include: HL7 IG Publisher: Version 1.8.1+ HL7 Validator: Version 6.5.0+ For details, refer to ... Read the Full Article: For more details, check out the full announcement .... A Collaborative Effort: This achievement reflects collaboration between Infoway, HL7, and numerous contributors. Special thanks to Elliot Silver, David Otasek, Dougal Fleming, Marc Lang, Grahame Grieve, and Ron Parker. With this integration, Canada joins a select group of countries advancing global digital health standards. Let’s keep building momentum together! If you have any questions or need assistance with the ... please ....
The IHE Patient Care Coordination Technical Committtee has published the following new and updated supplements for trial implementation: Occupational Data for Health (ODH) - Release 1.0.0 New Implementation Guide! Query for Existing Data for Mobile (QEDm) - Release 3.0.0 Now an Implementation Guide The supplements are available for ... The profiles within these supplements may be available at subsequent IHE Connectathons. Comments are welcome and can be submitted at ... or by submitting an ... or a ...
The IT Infrastructure Technical Committee has published the following new and updated Technical Framework Supplements for trial implementation: Add RESTful ATNA (Query and Feed) - Revision 3.5 Mobile Care Services Discovery (mCSD) - Release 3.9.0 Patient Demographics Query for Mobile (PDQm) - Release 3.1.0 Scheduling - Release 1.0.0. (New) These documents are available for .... The profiles within these documents may be available for testing at subsequent IHE Connectathons. Comments can be submittmed at ... or by submitting a GitHub Issue for ..., ..., or ...
The IT Infrastructure Technical Committee has published the following updated Technical Framework Volumes: Volume 1: Profile definition, use-case analysis, actor definition, and use of transactions and content Volume 2: Transaction definitions and constraints Complete HTML versions of these Technical Framework volumes are available for ... The profiles within the volumes may be available for testing at subsequent IHE Connectathons. Comments can be submitted at ... or by creating a ...
The IHE Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Technical Committee has published the following updated Technical Framework supplement for trial implementation: Digital Pathology Workflow - Image Acquisition (DPIA) - Rev. 1.3 available for .... The profile within this supplement is available for testing at subsequent IHE Connectathons. Comments on this supplement and all pathology and laboratory medicine documents are welcome at any time and can be submitted at ...

Carlene Williams joined a group

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Logo
Health care and health information professionals collaborating to improve information sharing between health care technology systems.

Forum

Infoway’s Terminology Server full integration with HL7 FHIR Tooling Ecosystem 12/18/24

We’re excited to share a major milestone for interoperability in Canada! Infoway’s FHIR-capable Terminology Server is now fully integrated with HL7 International’s FHIR tooling ecosystem. This integration streamlines access to Infoway-hosted terminol...

IHE Patient Care Coordination Technical Framework Supplements 12/18/24

The IHE Patient Care Coordination Technical Committtee has published the following new and updated supplements for trial implementation: Occupational Data for Health (ODH) - Release 1.0.0 New Implementation Guide! Query for Existing Data for M...

IHE IT Infrastructure Technical Framework Supplements Published 12/18/24

The IT Infrastructure Technical Committee has published the following new and updated Technical Framework Supplements for trial implementation: Add RESTful ATNA (Query and Feed) - Revision 3.5 Mobile Care Services Discovery (mCSD) - Release 3...

IHE IT Infrastructure Technical Framework Volumes 12/18/24

The IT Infrastructure Technical Committee has published the following updated Technical Framework Volumes: Volume 1: Profile definition, use-case analysis, actor definition, and use of transactions and content Volume 2: Transaction definiti...

IHE Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Technical Framework Supplement Publication 12/18/24

The IHE Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Technical Committee has published the following updated Technical Framework supplement for trial implementation: Digital Pathology Workflow - Image Acquisition (DPIA) - Rev. 1.3 available for .... The prof...

Final Reminder: Terminology Server Evaluation Survey Closes December 3 11/29/24

Hi all, This is a final reminder that the Terminology Server Evaluation Survey will close on Monday, December 3, 2024. We sincerely appreciate the feedback received so far, which has been invaluable in improving the Terminology Server since its l...

Join the Pre-Projectathon Testing Webinar on December 9th! 11/28/24

Hi all, Are you registered for, or interested in, the upcoming Pan-Canadian Projectathon, part of the IHE North America Connectathon Week? Don’t miss this essential webinar to ensure you’re fully prepared to test pan-Canadian specifications devel...

Terminology Server Progress Update & Invitation for Feedback 11/25/24

Hi Everyone, A quick reminder to participate in the Terminology Server evaluation survey, open until December 3, 2024. This brief survey (3–5 minutes) provides an opportunity to share your valuable feedback and help us improve our services. You...

IHE IT Infrastructure Technical Framework Documents Published 11/22/24

Hi IHE Canada Community Members, IHE IT Infrastructure Technical Framework Supplement Published for Public Comment The IT Infrastructure Technical Committee has published the following updated Technical Framework Supplement for public comment in...

IHE Canada Community Webinar Nov 2024 Materials 11/21/24

Hello IHE Canada members, Thank you for attending the November 21, 2024, IHE Canada Community Webinar, focused on "What Goes on in an IHE Connectathon/Projectathon/Plugathon?". The presentation material is now available here: .... A recordi...

Two pager Connectathon Week overview 11/21/24

Hi everyone, I thought I'd provide you with a two-paper Connectathon Week overview in advance of our Community call today. Please refer to the following for useful registration links and more online detail: .... Cheers, Attila

Terminology Server Progress Update & Invitation for Feedback 11/19/24

Hi all, We are pleased to provide an update on the Terminology Server since its launch in July 2024. Significant progress has been made to enhance user experience through live drop-in sessions, expanded training resources, and functionality impro...

Final Reminder: IHE Canada Webinar – November 21st 11/18/24

Hi all, This is a kind final reminder about IHE Canada's upcoming webinar on the structure, purpose, and values of participating in an IHE Connectathon, Projectathon, and Plugathon. This session will highlight the upcoming IHE North American Conn...

Register TODAY: IHE North America Connectathon Week 2025 11/14/24

Hi all, For the first time, the ... will be held in Canada! It is scheduled for next February 3-7 at the ... in the heart of Canada’s largest city. Get the benefit of over 25 years of interoperability testing experience. Whether you are a business...

Webinar Reminder: What Goes on in an IHE Connectathon/Projectathon/Plugathon? 11/12/24

Hi all, Just a quick reminder about IHE Canada's upcoming webinar on the structure, purpose, and values of participating in an IHE Connectathon, Projectathon, and Plugathon. This session will highlight the upcoming IHE North American Connectathon...

Documents

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Connectathon Week Summary

Published on Nov 21, 2024 by Attila Farkas

HL7_IHE_SDPI_E1_S2_2024MAY

Published on Apr 14, 2024 by Ron Parker

IHE 101

Published on Mar 04, 2020 by Derek Ritz

Video

A Collaborative Approach to Interoperability in Canada

Hello members of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise working group, If you were unable to attend Infoway's session on 'A Collaborative Approach to Interoperability in Canada' please find a recording of the presentation in the link below. Please feel free to contact us at: [email protected] if you have any questions. Sincerely, Interoperability Team

10/20/23

Members

David Kwan
Picture of David Kwan
Insygnia Consulting Inc.
OFFLINE
Contact
Tarek Kadoura
Picture of Tarek Kadoura
Canada Health Infoway
OFFLINE
Admin
Linda Monico
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Canada Health Infoway
OFFLINE
Admin
Michael Joy
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Blackcurrant Software
OFFLINE
Member
Carlene Williams
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N/A
OFFLINE
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David McDermott
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Strata Health Solutions
OFFLINE
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Jason Woo
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TELUS Health
OFFLINE
Member
Erik Uittien
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Akinox
OFFLINE
Member
Ryan Laming
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Cornwall Community Hospital
OFFLINE
Member
Dennis Lee
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University of Victoria
OFFLINE
Member
Michael Chou
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Aeon Health
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Brett Taylor
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Health Canada
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Colin Hattie
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Innovation and E-Health
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Catherine Wade
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Alliance for Healthier Communities
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Rudra Panda
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Deloitte
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