Minutes Lab Automation SIG, September, 2000

Minutes:Laboratory, Automated, and Point of Care Testing SIG

(LAPOCT SIG)

Dates:September 11-15, 2000

Attendees:Charles D. Hawker, PhDCo-Chair

Andrzej J. Knafel, PhDCo-Chair

Louis Dunka, PhD

Sadamu Takasaka

Masaaki Hirai

Manish Narang

Dean Yergens

Kenneth McCaslin

Joann Larson

Austin Kreisler

Louis Gordon

Frank W. Howard

Jeffrey S. Perry

Robert Uleski

Horst Merkle

Allan Sorenson

David Fallas

  1. Monday, Sept. 11, 09:00 – 10:00
    The LAPOCT SIG met briefly to outline an agenda and schedule for the week, which is outlined in these minutes. The remainder of Monday was freed up for members to attend the plenary session. A. Knafel and M.Narang met jointly with the Modeling and Methodology TC to address questions with specimens and containers.
  2. Tuesday, Sept. 12
    There was no meeting. Members were free to attend tutorial sessions. A. Knafel and M. Narang met briefly with the Orders and Observations TC to outline the issues for discussion of materials (specimens and containers) in a joint session on Wednesday.
  3. Wednesday, Sept. 13
    It was announcedthat the Technical Steering Committee had approved at its meeting Monday evening the proposed expansion of the Lab Automation SIG’s mission and scope (and name to that shown above – LAPOCT SIG). Further it was noted that the HL7 Board of Directors approved on Tuesday evening a formal affiliation with the point of care testing group that is working on a standard for that industry – the Connectivity Industry Consortium (CIC) – which will become part of the LAPOCT SIG for the development of the additional messages needed for that standard.
    The LAPOCT SIG met jointly with the Orders and Observations Technical Committee for the full day. Hans Buitendijk reviewed a spreadsheet he had prepared of trigger events and messages for laboratory transactions as well as pharmacy, central supply, dietary, and general areas. The ensuing discussion prioritized the messages in terms of importance, commonalities, and interrelationships to determine an approach to mapping them to Version 3. Gunther Schadow facilitated a discussion of materials for the laboratory (specimens and containers) and created a first version of the map of these in Version 3 using the Rose Tree tool. This session was extremely helpful to the LAPOCT SIG.
  4. Thursday, Sept. 14
    The LAPOCT SIG accomplished several key steps.
    The definitions for Specimen Component (13.3.3.28), Treatment (13.3.3.30), System Induced Contaminants (13.3.3.40), Drug Interference (13.3.3.41), and Special Handling Considerations (13.3.3.43) were revised and improved. This was done primarily to facilitate their use as attributes of specimens and containers in version 3, but these revisions will also be incorporated in the next revision to version 2.4.
    The Rose Tree tool was used to continue the mapping to Version 3 of the message components for the specimen and container, which had been started yesterday in the joint session with Orders and Observations. The SIG modeled the R-MIM of the Specimen Container Segment. addressed the specimen messages SSR, SSU, and equipment status messages ESU, ESR, EAC, EAR, and EAN.
    A proposal of a new Specimen Source Segment was created presented by Ken McCaslin as a 2.4.x segment that could also be supported in Version 3. This segment will replace an OBR field called specimen source. The SIG reviewed and discussed the proposed segment and it was accepted with revisions. Further actions (phone conferences) regarding this subject are planned. Ken McCaslin will coordinate the efforts between O&O and LAPOCT.
  5. Friday, Sept. 15

Several members of the Connectivity Industry Consortium (CIC) participated in this session, which focused on the draft HL7 messages developed by this group to be added to the Lab Automation messages in Chapter 13. Jeff Perry presented an overview and history of the CIC activity. CIC’s plan is to develop the first draft of a connectivity standard and then “sunset” itself into existing standards development organizations. Their EDI interface and device interface efforts, which are developing HL7 messages, will become part of this SIG. Their overall effort including the architecture, requirements, and POC workflow activities will sunset into a NCCLS subcommittee under the NCCLS Area Committee on Automation. It is presumed that a copyright agreement between NCCLS and HL7 will be signed which will permit NCCLS to publish the HL7 material exactly as an existing agreement permits NCCLS to publish HL7’s Chapter 13 on Clinical Laboratory Automation.
There was an also an overview discussion of the draft CIC HL7 messages. The major issue is that theis first draft CIC proposal was basesd on the version 2.3. Activities to analyze the proposal in detail and to redesign it as based on the version 2.4 are planned – see , but a detailed discussion was deferred to the schedule outlined below.
A. Knafel noted that the timeline for completion of all changes to version 2.4 to appear in 2.4.1 must be complete by the conclusion of the Orlando meeting on January 12.

6.Follow-up items and assignments related to CIC
a.The CIC representativesinvolved in developing messages will review HL7 version 2.4 Chapter 13, and the messages OML and ORL (Ch. 4), and OUL (Ch. 7), plus portions of Chapter 8, since the drafted CIC messages were based on version 2.3.
b.There will be a telephone conference call between members of the CIC and LAPOCT SIG to focus on the questions and directions relative to using version 2.4 for the point of care messages. This call is tentatively scheduled for October 4 at 11:00 a.m. EDT. CIC will coordinate the call.
c.Updated draft distributed one week prior to the MEDICA meeting. Responsibilty is Jeff Perry.
d.A joint meeting of CIC members and LAPOCT members will be held in conjunction with the MEDICA meeting on November 24 in Duüsseldorf.
e.Another telephone conference call between members of the CIC and LAPOCT SIG will follow the MEDICA meeting to discuss the latest update and finalize a direction leading to the Orlando meetings.
f.An updated draft document for discussion in Orlando will be distributed no later than January 1, 2001. Responsibility is Jeff Perry.
g.Joint meeting of CIC and LAPOCT SIG at HL7 in Orlando, January 8-12, 2001.

  1. Follow-up items relative to version 3 and the RIM
    a.Review the mapping document – distribute any comments and questions via labauto list
    b.Distribute a proposal of the changes to RIM  Oct. 9, M. Narang.
    c.Submit list of proposed RIM changes to Günther Schadow  Oct. 30, M. Narang
    d.Complete R-MIM for container and specimen subjects  A. Knafel (before Xmasthe Christmas holidays)
    e.Prepare CMED out of the R-MIM  A. Knafel (before Xmasthe Christmas holidays)
    f.Prepare R-MIMs for:
    Update R-MIM for container and specimen subject with new subject attributes.  A. Knafel (before Xmasthe Christmas holidays)
    Telephone conference call on Monday, September 25 at 11:00 a.m. EDT to discuss the Specimen Source Segment, which will be coordinated by Kenneth McCaslin.
    Prepare R-MIM for: Equipment subject (ESU, ESR, EAC, EAR, EAN).
    Prepare R-MIM for: Inventory and configuration subjects (INU, INR, TCU, TCR, LSU, LSR).
  2. Schedule for HL7 meeting in Orlando, January 8-12.
    One additionalagenda item in addition to those shown above is to make nominations for one or more additional Co-Chairs due to the expansion of the scope of the SIG.
    Tentative Schedule: Monday and Tuesday for discussions of the draft CIC messages to be completed for version 2.4.1. Monday it is expected that we might have a total attendance of 30-35 for a joint meeting of the LAPOCT SIG with the CIC affiliate. Tuesday and thereafter the attendance may only be 10-15. Wednesday and Thursday will be discussions of Version 3 and RIM mapping by the LAPOCT SIG. Friday morning will be reserved for review, resolution of issues not resolved during the week, and planning for May in Minneapolis.

Minutes prepared by Charles Hawker

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