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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, 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 participating in PIERS and report vaccine administrations using the web application while you explore the possibility of transmitting vaccination data through HL7, if not already doing so. 

    Get started by completing the PIERS Business Partner Registration Process form and  PIERS User Agreement and Account Request​ form.

    If you are receiving vaccine from one of Pennsylvania’s Vaccine Programs, 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.

    PIERS HL7 Testing Documents

    Additional HL7 Resources

    Step 4  – Submit a request to transmit vaccination data through HL7 by completing 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).  

    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 – Begin testing and submitting HL7 messages in the PIERS QA environment by using the credentials assigned to your clinic.

    An assigned Registry Specialist will review the submitted test messages. Test scripts can be found in the PIERS HL7 Testing Guide.

    Step 6 – Request that a Registry Specialist review your HL7 messages to complete UAT testing. 

    Once you have successfully conducted your testing in Step 5, send an email to RA-DHPIERSHL7@PA.GOV to request that a Registry Specialist be assigned to support you through the final steps of UAT testing.

    Step 7 – Promotion to the PIERS Production environment. 

    Once you have successfully completed testing in the PIERS QA environment, the Registry Specialist will verify your clinic ID and provide you with credentials to transmit HL7 messages to PIERS.