The Problem: A NetDirector client had a data trading partner who wanted to limit the charge messages that were received through NetDirector to a subset of the active users in the client’s platform.  Since the activity in the client’s platform needed to continue for all users, the client didn’t have a way to easily block the sending of messages to NetDirector. The need was identified most easily as a message filter based on the provider value in the messages.

The Solution: NetDirector built a storage system for “blocked providers” that stores the provider ID of providers that should be filtered. Once the processing was configured, the NetDirector engine references the list of excluded provider IDs before passing messages along to the trading partner, ensuring they receive only the data they require. An interface was also provided to allow the client to query and update the list of providers excluded whenever necessary, allowing “self-service” of this filtering process.

The Problem: As part of the workflow that a NetDirector client has, they need prior reports associated with the current radiology study that they will be reading.  Most trading partner systems can send prior reports as part of either their internal workflow or via stored images using DICOM messaging. One of the client’s data trading partners, however, did not have the ability to send prior reports through either of these methods.  They were only able to export an archive file of all prior reports, so the client needed a way to query and send as needed from the archive. The client’s was not equipped to store and retrieve the data, however they could consume the data if sent with new Radiology orders.

The Solution: NetDirector configured a storage solution that stores prior reports as entries which can be retrieved by the patient MRN.  When a new order is sent from the trading partner, the NetDirector system queries the storage and sends the associated prior reports to the existing client endpoint. The solution currently prior reports from as far back as three years.  Newly sent reports are automatically added to the archive for future retrieval.

The Problem : Due to a specific data trading partner workflow, one client found there were a large number of duplicate prior reports being sent from a storage archive.  This resulted in the client receiving too many messages, taxing the client’s system, creating bottlenecks, and preventing the client system from functioning efficiently.  A temporary solution was put in place that allowed the client to trigger a query of prior reports only for studies that were active.

Unfortunately, this still allowed for duplicate calls, and as a result duplicate reports being sent, overwhelming the client’s system. The client concluded that they needed a way to limit the query to only occurring once every three days – functionality that was not possible in the existing system.

The Solution: NetDirector implemented a storage solution that tracks the date of the last pull for a particular MRN.  As a request is received for an MRN to pull prior reports, the storage is queried to get the last date, and if the date is within the last 3 days the request is filtered.  If the date is beyond that date or that MRN hasn’t been queried, the query is sent, and the storage solution is updated.  This decreased the duplication significantly, and allowed the client’s system to function as expected while still maintaining their trading partner’s desired workflow.

The Problem:  A NetDirector client’s system has the ability to manage group appointments (appointments with multiple members) however they do not have an integration process to receive inbound group appointment requests.  One of their data trading partners requested to allow messages through NetDirector to create and manage group appointments within the client’s system.

The Solution: The group appointment management required a specific and elegant solution – because the information may be received either as a single message (all members in one message) or multiple messages (each member has a message but share an appointment ID), a method for storing member IDs and sending complete group members was needed.  Group appointment functionality would require the storing of this information to reference as messages were processed. NetDirector worked closely alongside the client to utilize existing endpoints to manually create the group and appointment from compiled data stored and organized in a Health Data Storage instance via integration with NetDirector.  Without the ability to store the information in NetDirector’s HDS, the inbound group appointment management would have required redevelopment and considerable delays for the client – all avoided with the aid of NetDirector as an intermediary.