Newbie Question: how to integrate with Patient data stored

[dzilberman]

Hello ,

My name is Dan Zilberman, I am an integration architect for Jakari Cari medical software project (in the stealth mode as of now).

I'd like to inquire about integration technologies we could use to integrate some basic data (Patient Demographics and Appointments) that we gather from patients via our Web interface: like:

Contact, Payment & Pharmacy
PATIENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Mark Test
Middle Initial:
Address: 756 26th ave.
City: San Francisco
State: California
ZIP: 94121
Phone: 6509064961
Email: danfrompiter@gmail.com
Date of Birth: 08/10/2005
Gender: Male
...

and store in the relational tables and or flat JSON files (mostly relational DB tables). Our stack in deployed into AWS cloud. We have set of Web Services for accessing that data for our Mobile Client.

The use cases that our client (OpenDental users) asked about are:
1. Bi-directional Patient Demographic data synchronization: created in our platform, stored ==> propagated into OpenDental DB of a client practice and the other way around.
2. Bi-directional Appointment data: created in our platform, stored ==> propagated into OpenDental DB of a client practice and the other way around.

We are have not yet built HL7 interfaces to our platform although do have specifications developed by my colleague Jon cc:d on this message, so data format is flexible.
I noticed that OpenDental offers a large set of OOTB "bridges" (connectors) for data exchange with various dental practice software - fro eClinicalWorks EHR described on the HL7 setup page: http://www.opendental.com/manual/hl7.html to specific applications like EasyNotesPro

Could you please let us know the following:

1. Does the system to be integrated with OpenDental have to expose data via well defined Hl7 interface which we have to map to OpenDental using Hl7 configuration UI? Can we use any other batch data extraction and packaging technique - like JSON or XMl formatted text files?
2. I have got an initial impression that HL7 integration (and others) have to either rely on certain data files to be placed into designated "in" and "out" folders available on the same network as OpenDental HL7 service running or TCPIP sockets where these files can be sent over. Is that the extend of available inbolund integration interfaces for OpenDental - or there are others as well?

Really appreciate your detailed answers to above and hope to be able to build the integration for our client sooner than later.

[dzilberman]

Would really appreciate a response from someone who has implemented integration of proprietary practice management software deployed in a cloud and capable of sending messages out and accepting incoming calls with on-premise deployed OpenDental software, whether by message files placed in designated IN and OUT folders or via TCP sockets. Need to build a quick :proof of concept" integration before building full HL7 based message interfaces. Thanks

[dzilberman]

When I joined this forum, I was really hoping to get some ideas on how to format data (Patient Demographics, Appointments) for integration between our software platform and OpenDental as well as what needs to be implemented on the OpenDental side (proprietary plug-in/bridge) to process that data and import into OpenDental DB scheme.
Can somebody please respond, at least on the high level - I'm sure that IT folks on this forum have done this before.

thanks,
Daniel

[Hersheydmd]

First, I think this belong on the Advanced Forum.
Second, I believe that if no one has responded, it probably means that no one with the knowledge or information you seek has read your post yet. Not everyone visits the forum daily. Give it some time. What you are asking sounds very complicated (hence it belongs in Advanced), if someone has any advice they will post it. Everyone here is very generous with sharing information.

[dzilberman]

Thank you Dr. Hershey - I have posted this question to the Advanced topics forum but - alas- did not get any responses either, and that is bad news for me as I really was trying to understand what does it take to configure an integration of on premise OPen Dental with hosted application.

I guess I have to e-mail directly to Dr. Sparks, or someone in charge of integrations, but I don't know who that is...

Dan Z