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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Providers and clinics interested in submitting HL7 messages to PIERS for patient vaccine information are encouraged to do the following:

    Step 1 – Get your organization established in PIERS. To use PIERS, you must register your facility with our Immunization Registry. Complete Request to Create a Clinic in PIERS​.  If you are submitting an application to participate in one of Pennsylvania’s Vaccination Programs (including COVID-19), you do not need to complete this form.  Your facility will be assigned a clinic ID as part of the enrollment process.

    Step 2 – Begin to use PIERS through the web application. Begin participating in PIERS while you explore the possibility of transmitting vaccination data through HL7.  PIERS provides functionality to enable you to search and report new vaccination data to a patient record.  Get started by completing the PIERS User Agreement and Account Request​ form.

    If you are receiving vaccine from one of Pennsylvania’s Vaccine Programs (including COVID-19), you must have at least two users enrolled to manage the vaccine inventory that is provided to you through Pennsylvania’s Vaccination Programs.

    Step 3 – Become familiar with HL7 standards. HL7 v.2.5.1 Release 1.5 is the standard format for submitting HL7 messages to PIERS.  The following resources will assist you in becoming familiar with our standards.

    Step 4 – Utilize PA's customized NIST Tool to self-test the quality of your HL7 messages. Please note that this tool is designed to test VXU messages.  A tool for QBP messages is not yet available.  The NIST tool for PA is available at https://hl7v2-gvt.nist.gov/gvt.  See the SOAP Guide Accessing the HL7 Web Service​ on how to use this tool.

    The following resource will assist you in becoming familiar with the NIST tool:

    Step 5 – Submit a request to transmit vaccination data through HL7. Once you have determined that you’d like to transmit data to PIERS through HL7, complete a PIERS Request to Transmit via HL7​ form.  This form should be submitted between 7-15 days from the date in which you plan to start PIERS testing (as outlined in Step 6 below).  You must send a PDF of the Report from the NIST Tool on your testing results.  See the SOAP Guide Accessing the HL7 Web Service​ for directions on downloading your test results.

    Step 6 – Begin Testing your HLT in PIERS UAT. Once you have five or less errors in your HL7 using the NIST tool, begin testing in PIERS UAT using the credentials assigned to your clinic from one of our registry specialists.  Our registry specialist will also provide you with a set of scenarios for you to use for testing purposes. 

    • PIERS HL7 Testing FAQ – Use this checklist to troubleshoot your connectivity issues.  If you are unable to resolve your issues after completing the checklist, complete the information on page 2 and email to RA-DHPIERSSUPPORT@PA.GOV​.

    Step 7 – Request that a Registry Specialist Review Your HL7 Messaging to Complete UAT Testing. Once you have successfully conducted your independent testing in Step 6, send an email to RA-DHPIERSSUPPORT@PA.GOV to request that a registry specialist be assigned to support you through the final round of UAT testing. The registry specialist will coordinate a testing date with you and provide the final set of scenarios to be transmitted on the testing date.   

    Step 8 – Promotion to PIERS Production Environment. Once you have successfully completed testing in PIERS’s UAT environment, the registry specialist will verify your clinic ID and provide you with credentials to transmit HL7 messages to PIERS. Refer to the PIERS HL7 Testing FAQ to resolve any connectivity issues.

    The registry specialist will meeting with you prior to going live in PIERS to review the self-auditing requirements as listed in the PIERS Request to Transmit via HL7​​ form.