Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Health Level Seven (HL7) has published the HL7 Personal Health Record System Functional Model (PHR-S FM) as a Draft Standard for Trial Use (DSTU).
The Model, which is available for download from the HL7 website, defines the set of functions that may be present in PHR systems to create and manage an effective record, and offers guidelines that facilitate health information exchange among different PHR systems and between PHR and EHR systems, according to the organization.
As a DSTU, the PHR-S FM provides the industry with a standard that can be used for up to two years while it is being refined into an American National Standards Institute-accredited version. During this time frame, consumers can begin requesting standards-based functionality when they select PHR systems for their use, vendors can begin incorporating the model’s requirements into their products, and organizations that certify PHR systems can begin evaluating the model’s conformance criteria for certification testing purposes, it states.
