UK health IT applications developer iSOFT has been awarded ‘Benefactor’ status, the highest level of accreditation provided by Health Level Seven (HL7), the healthcare data standards body.
The accreditation recognises iSOFT’s commitment to the development of interoperability standards, vital to meet the requirements specified by the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).
iSOFT becomes one of the first UK application content providers to have the ‘Benefactor’ status conferred upon them by HL7. Other Benefactors include McKesson and the National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT). With over 2,200 members worldwide representing over 500 corporate members, HL7 is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organisation founded in 1987.
iSOFT has a long standing active relationship with HL7-UK, and has worked on the technical working groups and committees traditionally focusing on HL7 version 2. The company is also involved in the development of HL7 version 3 messaging standards, which looks likely to play a central role within the NPfIT.
Commenting on the new accreditation, Nick Harte, iSOFT’s solution manager said: “iSOFT is proud to be helping HL7 erode the barriers of information flow in healthcare.”
He added: “The definite requirement to deliver value from existing legacy systems has been clearly outlined by the NPfIT. As a result, interoperability standards have become a crucial resource requirement for prospective LSPs to seek in application content providers, allowing them to meet the modernisation challenge in the way the Programme has asked for.”
HL7 UK is the UK affiliate organisation to HL7 established in 2000. Its goal is: “To support the development, promotion and implementation of HL7 standards in ways which meet the needs of healthcare organisations, health professionals and healthcare software suppliers in the United Kingdom".