mcon test indication

October 15, 2014

User GuideVersion 3.1

Mirth Connect User GuideV3.1

Revised: 10/15/2014Copyright Quality Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.2014Private and Confidential - Do No Distribute.

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Contents1. Introduction to Mirth Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42. About Mirth Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43. Getting Started with Mirth Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.1 Downloading and Installing Mirth Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.2 About the Mirth Connect Server Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.3 Launching the Mirth Connect Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4. The Fundamentals of Mirth Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134.1 About Mirth Connect Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134.2 Using Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

4.2.1 About the Edit Channels Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164.2.2 Creating a Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214.2.3 Editing a Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224.2.4 Editing Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234.2.5 Changing a Channel's Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244.2.6 Deploying Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.3 About Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274.3.1 Managing Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.3.1.1 Viewing Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274.3.1.2 Searching for Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294.3.1.3 Reprocessing Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334.3.1.4 Importing/Exporting a Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344.3.1.5 Sending a Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384.3.1.6 Removing a Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394.3.1.7 Working with Message Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

4.3.2 About the Message-Processing Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424.3.3 About Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444.3.4 Setting Message Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494.3.5 About Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534.3.6 About Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544.3.7 About Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

4.3.7.1 Selecting a Connector Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574.3.7.2 Viewing Connector Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574.3.7.3 About File Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584.3.7.4 About TCP Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604.3.7.5 About Database Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614.3.7.6 About Channel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624.3.7.7 About HTTP Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634.3.7.8 About Web Service Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654.3.7.9 About JavaScript Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664.3.7.10 About JMS Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674.3.7.11 About the Document Writer Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674.3.7.12 About Email Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674.3.7.13 About DICOM Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684.3.7.14 About Serial Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

4.3.8 Messaging Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714.3.9 Advanced Messaging Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

4.3.9.1 About Message Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714.3.9.2 About Advanced Message Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

5. Mirth Connect and JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745.1 About JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755.2 Using JavaScript in Mirth Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805.3 JavaScript Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865.4 JavaScript Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875.5 JavaScript Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875.6 Global and Channel Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89



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5.7 About the User and JavaScript APIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 906. Mirth Connect Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

6.1 About Mirth Connect Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926.2 About Server/Connection Logs and Global Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926.3 About Import/Export Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946.4 About the Command-Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 956.5 Managing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 956.6 About Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 966.7 About Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006.8 About Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1036.9 Managing Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

7. Commercial Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047.1 About the Advanced Alerting Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1057.2 About ASTM E1381 Transmission Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1097.3 About the ASTM E1394 Data Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1107.4 About the Channel History Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1107.5 About the Email Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1127.6 About LDAP Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1137.7 About the Message Generator Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147.8 About the SSL Manager Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1157.9 About the Serial Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1277.10 About the User Roles Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

8. Mirth Connect FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128



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The helps acquaint you with the features and functions of the Mirth ConnectMirth Connect User GuideVersion 3.1software appliance. Click on a section link to learn more about specific aspects of Mirth Connect:

Introduction to Mirth Corporation a brief orientation of Mirth Corporation's mission, using open-sourcesoftware, and what to expect in this guideAbout Mirth Connect an overview of the MC software appliance including the data types it supportsGetting Started with Mirth Connect installing MC, using the MC Server Manager, and launching the MCAdministratorThe Fundamentals of Mirth Connect a brief explanation of channels and message processingMirth Connect and Java Script an explanation of Java Script and its affiliation with MCMirth Connect Operations how MC works, including descriptions of its operational elementsCommercial Extensions for purchase from Mirth CorporationMirth Connect FAQS frequently asked questions about MC.

Introduction to Mirth Corporation

Mirth Corporation's MissionMirth Corporation software and systems help many of the nations largest, most respected healthcare entitiesstreamline their care-management processes to satisfy the demands of a regulatory, competitive healthcare industry.Mirth's defining goal is to provide the healthcare community a secure, efficient, cost-effective means of sharing healthinformation. The natural product of this aim is a corps of applications flexible enough to manage any volume ofpatient information from small practices to large HIEs so Mirth customers and users can work confidently andeffectively within the healthcare-delivery system.

Using Commercial OSS (Open-Source Software)Because the Mirth appliance suite is the leading open-source toolset for patient-related transactions, Mirth customersbenefit from the contributions and testing resources of scores of healthcare professionals. Issues are resolvedquickly, and community input is adapted to make Mirth products more helpful and user friendly. If you are hesitantabout using open-source software, be assured that Mirth fully backs its entire open-source suite with:

support services to match every need level and budgetprofessional services to complete your integration project quickly and correctlyhosting services that offer you HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-grade securityan array of physical and virtual appliances to save you time and resources so you can deploy on astandardized, reliable platform.

About This GuideIf you have taken the Mirth Connect certification training, the information in this guide will likely be familiar to youbecause its content reflects portions of the training course.

The guide begins with procedures that instruct you how to download and install MC and launch the MC Administrator.These are followed by details about channels and messages (the two basic elements of MC) and MC's relationshipwith JavaScript. A section about MC Operations includes such topics as the server log, connection monitoring, alerts,and data pruning. To conclude, answers to a broad range of frequently asked questions should resolve manypractical matters not covered in the guide itself.

About Mirth Connect



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Like an interpreter who translates foreign languages into the one you understand, Mirth Connect translates messagestandards into the one your system understands. Whatever "foreign" system sends you a message, MC's integrationcapabilities expedite:

filtering MC reads a message's parameters and passes the message to or stops it on its way to thetransformation stagetransformation MC converts the incoming message standard to another standard (e.g., HL7 to xml)extraction MC can "pull" data from and "push" data to a databaserouting MC makes sure messages arrive at their assigned destinations.

Users manage and develop channels (message pathways) via the interface known as the :Administrator

Channels are deployed to the MC server where the essential transport connectors are created. MC supports a varietyof connectors that are detailed in the section.About Connectors

The Healthcare Interoperability Challenge/SolutionMost often, patient data is exchanged via computer systems (e.g., a doctor's office sends patient records to ahospital, a clinic sends a prescription request to a pharmacy). Such communication is not foolproof. Data can bedelayed or lost, and privacy is not always assured, making the transaction less efficient and reliable than it could be.Contributing factors include:

protocol conflicts between sitesmismatched versions of record-keeping software costly software licensingHIPAA privacy and securityincompatible data due to varied software and communication methodslack of control and flexibility related to software use.

MC's flexibility shows in this work-flow diagram, in which a lab's data system sends an HL7 message to MC via anMLLP (minimal lower-layer protocol). MC inserts patient data into an EHR (electronic health record) database,creates a PDF (portable document format) file, and sends an email message with the PDF file attached.

In the next scenario, MC reads patient data from a hospital's EMR (electronic medical record) system. With elementsmapped in its own channel, MC generates an HL7 message and sends it to a client for outpatient care. Multipleconfigurations are available depending on how the channel is constructed.



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Getting Started with Mirth ConnectThe stand-alone instance of Mirth Connect comes with an installer for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

This section consists of these related subjects:Downloading and Installing Mirth ConnectAbout the Mirth Connect Server ManagerLaunching the Mirth Connect Administrator.

Downloading and Installing Mirth Connect

System Requirements

The Mirth Connect Server and MC Administrator are cross-platform applications requiring Oracle JRE v1.6 or newer.The MC Server, a fully standalone application, does not need an application server or a database for its configurationand message store. For quick deployment, development, and testing, MC already includes an embedded database(Apache Derby). For production, the latest version of MC supports these databases:

PostgreSQL 8.3+MySQL 5.0+Oracle 10gR2+SQL Server 2005+

Downloading/Installing the SoftwareThe Mirth Connect installer (for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X) automatically upgrades the previous version of thesoftware installed on your system.

Click this link: , and, on the page that appears, click thehttp://www.mirthcorp.com/community/downloadsappropriate installer link for your system.

If you have purchased a Mirth appliance, disregard the download/install procedures.

These database requirements apply only to what is used for the MC Server's configuration and messagestore; they do not pertain to the databases with which MC can interface.

You need Java JRE 1.6 or later to install MC. Though this procedure shows a Mac installation, the otherinstallations are similar.



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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

When the download is complete, double-click the download file, then double-click the Mirth Connect Installer icon that appears.

On the , click the button.Mirth Connect Setup Wizard Next >

In the window, read the licensing terms, select , then click the License Agreement I accept the agreement button.Next >

In the section, click the button, find and select the folder in which you wantDestination directory Browse...to install MC, then click the button.Next >

You can also navigate to the Downloads page via the Mirth Home page ( ) www.mirthcorp.comMenu Bar Resources > Downloads.

Yes, update the existing installation is the default selection. If, however, you want to install MCelsewhere on your system, before clicking the button, select Next > No, install into a different

, and install MC in your desired location.directory



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5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

On the dialog, select the MC components you want to install, and click the Select Components Next > button.

On the dialog, enter the port values as needed, and click the Server Settings Network Ports Next > button.

On the dialog, set your password parameters, and click the Security Settings Password Requirementsbutton.Next >

On the dialog, set the server-settings paths for the Application Data and Logs, andServer Settings Pathsclick the button.Next >

The component is greyed out because it is not an option, but you can Mirth Connect Serverselect/deselect or .Mirth Connect Server Manager Mirth Connect CLI



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9.

10.

11.

On the dialog, click the button to install MC.Server Settings Service Next >

Once MC is installed, the dialog appears; select/deselect theCompleting the Mirth Connect Setup Wizardoptions as desired, and click the button.Finish

About the Mirth Connect Server ManagerWindows and Mac OS X versions install a , an application that resides in the systemMirth Connect Server Managertray (Windows) or in the folder > folder (Mac). The dialog consistsApplications Mirth Connect MC Server Managerof , , and pages:Server Database Info

Server Page

Depending on the options you chose in the , the or the Setup Wizard MC Server Manager READMEfile or both appear.



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Here you can set ports, server memory, log levels, and view log files.

Function Description

Web StartPort

Accesses the Java Web Start page for the MC Administrator (default port: )8080

AdministratorPort

Used by the MC Administrator to communicate with the MC Server (default port: )8443

ServerMemory(mb)

The server's maximum available memory

Log Level (Main, Database, Channel) These drop-down menus feature , , , , and ERROR WARN INFO DEBUG log levels; depending on the log level, TRACE messages of that and all lower levels pass into that

when the system logs a certain-level messagelevel's log

Refresh Updates the list of if any were added/removed since the previous refreshLog Files

View File Select a file in the window to enable this button, which displays the selected fileLog Files

Administrator (PC only) Opens the MC login page (inactive on Macs; see Launching the Mirth Connect)Administrator

Ok Saves your changes then exits the Server Manager

Cancel Exits the Server Manager without saving your changes

Apply Applies changes to the field and drop-down settings but does not exit the Server Manager; inactiveunless you change any page settings

Database Page

You can manage MCs internal database on the Server Manager's page.Database



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Function Description

Type Select the database on which MC will store data

URL The JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) URL string, which changes with your selection inthe Type menu

Username/Password The user's unique personal identifier/access code

Info Page

The page shows the MC server and Java versions as well as the server ID and a link to the Mirth CorporationInfowebsite.

Launching the Mirth Connect AdministratorThe MC Administrator is used for all channel development and is a UI composed of menu and view panels thatchange depending on focus or selected views. Views differ for various tasks (Dashboard, Channel, Settings, etc.).The first time you log in to the MC Administrator, the dialog appears. (The default usernameMirth Connect Loginand password are both .)admin

MC's default database, , is included only to help you set up quickly. Because it is not aApache Derbyproduction-level database, Mirth Corporation strongly recommends that you do use Derby fornotproduction.



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When you click the button (previous graphic), the dialog appears, on which youLogin Welcome to Mirth Connectwill create a default user. Even if you want to keep the default credentials, you must complete all required ( ) fields*on this dialog.

On PC and Linux platforms, you can launch the MC Administrator via the button in the bottom-leftAdministratorcorner of the page.MC Server Manager Server

To launch the MC Administrator on a Mac, in the address field of your browser, type followed bylocalhost:the Web Start Port number. (See the page; default: .) Follow the directionsServer Manager Server 8080on the Web Start page to launch the Administrator.



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The Fundamentals of Mirth ConnectA Mirth Connect channel, with its own filters and transformers, is the medium for the source and destination systems. Messages flow into a source connector, pass through a pre-processor script, are converted to XML, passthrough filters (that may be on the source side), then through any transformers. The transformed message isencoded, then flows to the destination connector.

An page features all elements needed to configure a new or reconfigure an existing channel via its Edit Channel, , , and tabs. (See for details on each ofSummary Source Destination Scripts About the Edit Channels Interface

these pages.)This section explains the relationship between channels and messages. Click a link to learn aboutthese elements, which are vital to working in MC:

About Mirth Connect PanelsUsing ChannelsAbout Messages.

If you click the button for (previous graphic), the pageAccess Secure Site Web Dashboard Sign in changes, prompting you to enter a and (next graphic). Use Username Password Web Dashboard Sign Inif you want to view your read-only MC statistics securely. You can log in to MC from this page by clicking theuser button in the top-right corner of the page and selecting .Launch Administrator



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About Mirth Connect PanelsThe panel example in this section pertains to the Tasks Dashboard function in the Mirth Connect panel. The otherfunctions in the panel have their own panels with corresponding tasks.MC Tasks

About the Mirth Connect Panel

The functions in this panel are the same for all MC pages. Clicking one of these functions opens its correspondingpage.

Panel Function Description

Dashboard Shows deployed channels, and tracks their deployment status () and message statistics (messagesStarted/Stopped/Paused/Halted

received, filtered, queued, sent, etc)Channels Shows all channels (regardless of deployment status), including each's

channel status ( ), data type, name, Id, etcEnabled/DisabledUsers Shows system users, including such details as username, first/last name,

and email address

Settings Shows system settings on , , and Server Administrator Data Prunertabs; other tabs appear for any installed commercial extensions (e.g.,

, )LDAP Authorization SSL ManagerAlerts Shows system alerts, including status, description, and Id

Events Shows system events, including date/time, name, user at the time of theevent, event outcome, and IP address

Extensions Shows all system connectors and plugins installed on your system,including each's status, name, author, URL, and version

About the Tasks Panel

The tasks in a particular panel change with your selection in the panel and your selections onTasks Mirth Connectthe task's corresponding page.


When you click any function (except ) in the panel, a list/table relative to theSettings Mirth Connectfunction appears. In each of these, you can rearrange the columns by clicking a column header anddragging the column to the desired position. As you drag a column, the next columns automatically slide inthe opposite direction, to make room for the column you are moving.



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Refresh Updates the values on the channels list

SendMessage

Sends a message to the selected channel

ViewMessages

Displays the selected channel's messages

RemoveAllMessages

Removes all messages from the selected channel

ClearStatistics

Reveals a popup on which you can select the statistics you want to clearfrom the selected channel

Pause Pauses the selected channel; this task appears in the panel if thechannel's status is Started

Start Starts the selected channel; if the channel's this task appears in the panelstatus is Paused/Stopped

Stop Stops the selected channel (after the current message is processed); this if the channel's status is task appears in the panel Started/Paused

Halt Stops the selected channel (the channel stops immediately, leaving themessage incomplete; when the channel is restarted, processing resumesfrom the last checkpoint); while a channel is this task appears in the panelbeing Started/Paused/Stopped

UndeployChannel

Removes the selected channel from deployment; the channel will notreappear on the page until it is deployed via the Dashboard Channelspage

About the Other Panel

The functions in this panel are the same for all MC pages and do not affect the workings of the MC Administrator;rather, these functions connect you to sources you may need as you work in MC.

instead of moving back and forth between the panel and the work area, you can place the pointer inTasksthe appropriate spot on the work area and right-click (PC)/control+click (Mac) the mouse to reveal a menu at the pointer location with the same tasks as the panel. Tasks This shortcut works for all pagesaccessed via the functions in the Mirth Connect panel. You need to place the pointer on the page's workarea to enable the shortcut. Placing the pointer elsewhere (e.g., in a margin or on a greyed-out element orlist header) does not enable the shortcut.



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Notifications Opens the dialog on which Mirth posts software updates,Notificationscommercial-extension releases, critical bugs and workarounds, et al.;you can archive the notifications and set whether or not to show them atlogin

View UserAPI

Opens a page on which you can view documentation for the Mirth userAPI

Help Opens the Mirth Connect wiki, which contains information aboutworking in MC

About MirthConnect

Opens a popup containing technical information about MC (e.g., serverid, software build date, Java version)

Visitmirthcorp.com

Opens the Mirth Corporation website

Report Issue Opens a page on which you can create a report about an issueconcerning MC

Logout Automatically logs you out of MC; opens the MC login dialog by whichyou can log in to or exit MC

Using ChannelsChannels are the conduit between a source system and one or more destination systems. This section consists ofinformation that acquaints you with and instructs you how to work with channels. Click a link to view its topic:

About the Edit Channels InterfaceCreating a ChannelEditing a ChannelEditing Data TypesChanging a Channel's StatusDeploying Channels.

About the Edit Channels InterfaceWhen you create a channel, you use the tabs (Summary, Source, Destination, Scripts) on the page toEdit Channelconfigure the channel.

Summary PageA channel's basic properties are defined on this page.

To access an page, iEdit Channel n the panel, click:Mirth Connect

Channels, then double-click the desired channel (or) > desired channel panel > Channels Channel Tasks Edit Channel (or)

Channels panelChannel Tasks > New Channel.



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Channel Properties

Feature Description

Channel Name The name you give the channel

Data Types Configure the inbound/outbound properties, and set the data type for the source/destinationconnectors

Initial State Sets the state of the channel ( ) when first/next deployedStarted/Paused/StoppedAttachment Sets the handler used to extract attachments from a message

Properties ( ) Lets you set attachment properties ( ) or scriptRegex/JavaScript/Custom Regex/Customproperties ( )JavaScript

StoreAttachments

(Select an attachment type) If checked (default), attachments are stored in the database andare available during reprocessing; if not, attachments are extracted but not stored

Enabled If checked (default), the channel can be deployedClear globalchannel map ondeploy

If checked (default), clears the global channel map on single channel deploys and fullredeploys

Message Storage

Feature Description

Slide Bar The selected level ( ) determines whatDevelopment/Production/Raw/Metadata/Disabledmessage content and metadata is stored

Performance (Status bar) Shows the level of system performance for the selected message-storage level(the lower the slide bar, the lesser the content storage, so the better the performance)



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Encrypt messagecontent

( ) If checked, message content stored in the database isDevelopment/Production/Rawencrypted, meaning that a message can be viewed, but its content is not subject to searching

Remove contenton completion

(Development/Production/Raw) If checked, message content is removed after a message isprocessed (excludes errored/queued messages)

Removeattachments oncompletion

(Development/Production/Raw) If checked, attachments are removed after a message isprocessed (excludes errored/queued messages)

Message Pruning

Feature Description

Metadata Store indefinitely: message metadata is kept as long as this feature is selected; Prune metadata older: message metadata older than the set number of days is eliminated when the Data Prunerthan ? days

runs

Content Prune when message metadata is removed: message content is deleted when message metadata isdeleted; : Prune content older than ? days message content older than the set number of days iseliminated when the Data Pruner runs

Allowmessagearchiving

(Select a feature to enable) If checked, messages in this channelPrune metadata/content older thanare archived on your system before being pruned from MC (the archiving feature must also be enabledin the Data Pruner settings)

Channel Tags

Feature Description

Tag A list of the channel's tags that can be used for filtering

Add/Delete Add: lets you create/assign a tag for the channel; : removes the selected tagDelete

Custom Metadata

Feature Description

Add/Delete Add: lets you add a column for custom metadata to the channel's messages; : removes theDeleteselected custom metadata

Revert Returns you to the previously saved custom metadata settings if you have added/deleted custommetadata but have not saved the changes

Channel Description

Feature Description

Text box Enter information pertinent to the channel

Source/Destinations PagesA channel's filters and transformers are defined on these pages.

Source Page



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Feature(Source page)

Description

ConnectorType

Sets the type of source connector, which in turn determines how the channel receives data

(Reader)Polling Settings

Polling Type The reader polls the channel to detect the arrival of new messages; select apolling type: or ; (Interval) The reader polls every Interval Time Polling Frequency (ms) nmilliseconds, being the numeric value in the field; avoid very brief intervals, as polling can bentime-consuming; (Time) The reader polls once a day; the polling timePolling Time (daily) (HH:MM AM/PM) is set in the corresponding field

(Reader)Source Settings

Source Queue OFF: processes the message before sending the response; ON: queuesmessages and instantly sends a response (cannot use response from destinations); Response Selects an auto-generated response, a destination's response,post-processor return value, or response map variable as the response to be sent;select None if you do not want to send a response; Process Batch Select toYesenable batch processing; batch messages are only supported if the source connector's inboundproperties contain a batch section; Each message in the batch containsBatch Responseits own response that is generated via the selected method; select the responseResponsefrom the batch's first or last message to be sent to the originating system; receives onemessage, processes multiple messages

Reader/ListenerSettings

Depending on the connector type, there can be few, many, or no configurable settingsin this section

Destinations Page



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Feature (Destinations page) DescriptionDestinations Table Displays the channel's destination connectors; : the connector's operationalStatus

state (Enabled/Disabled); : the destination connector's name; : theDestination Idconnector's unique identifier; : e.g., Channel Writer, DICOMConnector TypeSender; : indicates which chain each destination executes under; each chainChainexecutes , and each simultaneously destination in a chain executes sequentially

Connector Type Determines how data is sent from the channel

Wait for previous destination (Disabled for the channel's original destination or if the channel has onedestination) If checked, the destination connector is in the same chain as theprevious destination and does not do any processing until the previous destinationfinishes processing



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Destination Settings Queue Messages Never: messages are not queued; : MC triesAttempt Firstsending messages before queuing them; : messages are always queued; Always

(enabled if or is selected): regeneratesRegenerate Template Attempt First Alwaysthe template and other connector properties by replacing variables each time theconnector tries to send a queued message; Rotate (enabled if or Attempt First

is selected): a queued message that fails to send goes to the end of theAlwaysqueue (if message order is important, this feature should be unchecked); RetryCount Before Queue/Error The user-specified number of times theconnector tries to send a message before it is queued/errored; RetryInterval (ms) (Enabled if Attempt First or Always is selected) Thetimespan (in ms) between message-send attempts; Queue Threads (Enabled if Attempt First or Always is selected) The number of threadsthat will read from the queue and dispatch messages simultaneously(message order is not guaranteed if this value > 1); Validate

Select to validate the response; responses can only beResponse Yesvalidated if the response transformer's inbound properties contains a Response

section; if validation fails, the message is marked as or Validation QueuedErrored

Writer/Sender Settings Depending on the connector type, there can be few or many configurable settingsin this section

Scripts PageA channel's scripts are defined on this page. You run the script when the channel is deployed, shut down, and before(preprocessor) or after (postprocessor) a message is processed.

Feature Description

Script Determines the channel's script type ( )Deploy/Undeploy/Preprocessor/PostprocessorCategory Determines the category (e.g., , , ) ofConversion Functions Channel Functions Map Functions

reference-code template shown in the window below the field; select to show all ref-codeFilter Alltemplates in the window

Filter Enter part of a filter type to restrict the window display to filters that match your entry

List Displays the ref-code templates/categories matching the selection on the barCategory

Creating a ChannelThis procedure instructs you how to create a channel. (For details on the new/edit channel pages, see About the Edit



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.)Channels InterfaceIn the panel, click .Mirth Connect ChannelsOn the page panel, click .Channels Channel Tasks New ChannelOn the page, name the channel, and configure items on this and other EditEdit Channel SummaryChannel pages ( / / ) as needed.Source Destinations Scripts

In the panel (previous graphic), click .Channel Tasks Save Changes

Editing a ChannelThis procedure instructs you how to edit a channel. (For details on the edit channel pages, see About the Edit

.)Channels InterfaceIn the panel, click .Mirth Connect ChannelsOn the page, select the channel you want to edit.Channels

In the panel, click .Channel Tasks Edit Channel

You do not have to save your changes before moving from one Edit Channel page (Summary/Source/Destinations/Scripts) to another. If, however, you try to leave the Edit Channel pageswithout saving your changes, a Select an Option dialog appears, asking Would you like to save thechannel changes? Click Yes to save your changes.

The page appears with the name of the selected channel in the header.Edit Channel In thisexample, the left graphic shows that the channel's is ; the right graphic showsInitial State Started

Notice that the function does not appearthat the was edited to .Initial State Paused Save Changesuntil a change is made.



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Make your changes, and in the panel (previous graphic), click .Channel Tasks Save Changes

Editing Data TypesThis section consists of procedures that instruct you how to edit the data types for one connector and for multipleconnectors (a process called "bulk" editing).

Editing One Connector's Data TypesThis procedure instructs you how to edit a channel's data types, which is done on an page and mayEdit Channelinclude changing data-type properties.

In the panel, click .Mirth Connect ChannelsSelect a channel, and in the panel, click .Channel Tasks Edit Channel

On the tab section, click the button.Summary Channel Properties Set Data Types

On the dialog Connector List, select a connector.Set Data Types

You do not have to save your changes before moving from one page ( /Edit Channel Summary/ / ) to another. If, however, you try to leave the pagesSource Destinations Scripts Edit Channel

without saving your changes, the dialog appears, asking Select an Option Would you like to save Click to save your changes.the channel changes? Yes

ImportantFor your saved edits to take effect, you need to redeploy the channel. See inRedeploying a Channelthe sectionDeploying Channels .



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In the section, click the Data Type bar (previous graphic), and select a data type, thenInbound Propertiesselect its properties. ( and data types do not have properties.)DICOM Raw

Repeat the previous step for the data type's (graphic, Step 4), and click the button.Outbound Properties OKIn the panel, click .Channel Tasks Save Changes

Bulk Editing Data TypesThis procedure instructs you how to edit the data types of more than one of a channel's connectors. With bulk editing,you can edit the data types of all of a channel's connectors or any combination of connectors as needed.

In the panel, select .Mirth Connect ChannelsOn the page, select a channel, and in the panel, click .Channels Channel Tasks Edit ChannelOn the page, and click the bar.Edit Channel Data TypesIn the top-left corner of the dialog, click the button.Set Data Types Bulk Edit

Either check the box or, on the Connector List, check the desired connectors.AllSelect in-/outbound data types, and edit their properties as needed, then click the button.OK

When you first select a data type, e.g., , its default properties appear in theHL7 v2.xinbound/outbound properties sections. If you check/uncheck any boxes or otherwise select/changeany of the defaults, the property is no longer a default, and its name appears in bold text. Anychanges to the defaults activate the button above the properties list. Click thisRestore Defaultbutton to restore the default settings.

This action reveals the / / checkboxes next to the button.All Destinations Responses Bulk EditChecking selects all connectors on the list (Source, Destination, and Response); checking All

selects all destination connectors; checking selects all responses. If youDestinations Responsesdo not want to include all of any connectors, on the Connector List, check the boxes of theconnectors you do want to include in your edits.



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Changing a Channel's StatusYou can deployed channels on the page's Channels List. (Undeployed channels do notStop/Start/Pause Dashboardappear on the Channels List, and their status cannot be changed until they are redeployed.) A channel doesPausednot receive new messages but keeps processing messages in its Source/Destinations queues. A or Stopped Haltedchannel cannot receive messages.

On the page, select a channel.DashboardIn the panel, click the desired task. (The panel's available tasks depend on the channel'sDashboard Tasksstatus.)

In the panel, click .Channel Tasks Save ChangesIn the panel, click , and in the panel, click .Mirth Connect Channels Channel Tasks Deploy Channel

Deploying ChannelsThis section consists of procedures that instruct you how to deploy and undeploy a channel, and redeploy an editedchannel. (For details, see About the Edit Channels Interface.) Only channels can be deployed. ChannelsEnabledare on the page; channels are on the page and Enabled/Disabled Channels Deployed Channels

on the page.Undeployed Dashboard

The page appears, showing the selected channel's new status.Dashboard

An existing channel must be before it can be deployed. (New channels are enabled by default.) IfEnabledyou select a channel for deployment, the task does not appear in the Disabled Deploy Channel Channel

panel. If you select multiple channels for deployment, one or more of which is , when youTasks Disabledclick , a dialog appears, informing you that Deploy Channel Warning Disabled channels will not be

. When you click the button, the selected channels are deployed, and the deployed OK Enabled Dashboard appears, displaying the newly deployed channels.



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Deploying a ChannelNew, edited, and undeployed channels need to be deployed (to the server) before you can use them. (To deploymultiple channels, select the desired channels, and click in the panel; MC does notDeploy Channel Channel Tasksprovide a "Deploy Channels" task.) This procedure instructs you how to deploy a channel, new or otherwise.

In the panel, click .Mirth Connect ChannelsSelect a channel, and in the panel, click . (Channel Tasks Deploy Channel The next graphic, whichrepresents the channel after editing but before redeployment, shows that edits were saved twice since thechannel was last deployed.)

Undeploying a ChannelIf, for example, you no longer need a channel, but protocol dictates that you do not delete it, or if current needs do notinclude a channel that may be useful later, you can "undeploy" the channel. Such channels do not appear on the

page nor do they send/receive messages. You do not need to disable an undeployed channel, althoughDashboardto be deployed, a channel must be enabled.

On the page, select the channel you want to undeploy.Dashboard

In the panel (previous graphic), click .Dashboard Tasks Undeploy Channel

Redeploying All ChannelsWhile the task does not appear in the panel until you select one or more channels,Deploy Channel Channel Tasksthe task always appears in this panel. Moreover, to use the task, you do not need toRedeploy All Redeploy Allselect all channels because by virtue of its function, the task includes all channels when it executes its function. When you click this task, all deployed channels are undeployed, then all Enabled channels are immediatelyredeployed. is convenient for instantly updating all deployed Redeploy All Enabled channels at once instead oftaking the time to go down the Channels List, redeploying Enabled channels one by one.

The page appears, showing the newly deployed channel with deployment date/timeDashboardhighlighted and a zero in the column. Deployment zeroes out the channel's Rev value, whichRev represents how many times edits have been saved since the channel's previous deployment.

The channel disappears from its previous position on the Channels List. (You can access theundeployed channel on the page.)Channels

Although the task name implies that every channel will be redeployed, the general rule concerning channeldeployment still applies; that is, only enabled channels can be deployed. (See this Note from earlier in the



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About MessagesMirth Connect lets healthcare sites communicate securely using electronically transmitted messages. Before amessage is sent and after it is received, it undergoes various operations that ensure it arrives at the right place in theright format with the right information, then is logged in the right way with all the right statistical data recorded in theright categories. This section explains the messaging process via:

Managing Messages viewing, searching for, reprocessing, importing/exporting, sending, removing, andworking with statisticsAbout the Message-Processing Flow the attributes of a message from source to destinationSetting Message Templates the function of inbound/outbound message templatesAbout Transformers maps, scripts, message builder, XSLT stepsAbout Filters variables that pass/stop and route messagesAbout Connectors the elements that link sources to destinationsMessaging Tools links to applications and tutorials you can use to improve your messaging capabilitiesAdvanced Messaging Topics queueing, attachments, and routing.

Managing MessagesManaging messages in Mirth Connect involves:

Viewing MessagesSearching for MessagesReprocessing MessagesImporting/Exporting a MessageSending a MessageRemoving a MessageWorking with Message Statistics.

Viewing Messages

You can view a channel's messages by selecting the channel on the page and in the Dashboard Dashboard Tasks panel, clicking (or you can double-click the channel).View Messages

Channel Message Page TabsOn the page, you can select a message and use the tabs in the lower portion of the page toChannel Messagesview various message traits and elements.

Messages Tab

Content options (raw, transformed, encoded, etc) appear based on the type of processing a message hasundergone.

section.)Deploying Channels



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Mappings Tab

Select this tab to view mapping variables and associated data.

Errors Tab

This tab appears only if the selected message has an error.

Attachments Tab

This tab appears only if the selected message has an attachment.

Adding a Column to the Messages ListOn a page, the Messages List features eight default columns: , , , Channel Messages Id Connector Status Received

, , , , and . You can add columns to and delete columns from the list one at adate Response Date Errors Source Typetime via the Column Options icon/menu in the list's column header.

All Messages Lists for all channels have the same column configuration; that is, any columns addedto/removed from the Messages List of one channel are added to/removed from the Messages List of allchannels. You can add as many available columns as you like, though not all may be visible onscreen atonce. If all columns cannot be viewed onscreen, a horizontal scroll bar appears below the Messages List.Scroll left or right to view the desired columns/data.



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On the page, select a channel, and in the panel, click .Dashboard Dashboard Tasks View Messages

At the far-right end of the Message Lists's column header, click the Column Options icon, and on the menu,select an option to add to/remove from the column header.

Searching for Messages

This topic consists of an overview of the search filters on a page and of a message-searchChannel Messagesprocedure. MC's message-search feature is capable of a wide range of searches, from general in nature, using oneor just a few filters, to finely grained, using many filters and including the dialog, which offers a numberAdvancedof Id, content, and metadata filters.

Deleting a column does not delete its data; the data reappears when you add the column back to theMessages List.

Also on the Column Options menu are functions by which you can perform various list-related tasks:

Collapse All Shows only the Source Connector row of each message in the Messages ListExpand All Shows the Source Connector row Destination row(s) of each message in theandMessages List (as in the previous graphic)Restore Default Reconfigures the Messages List to contain the eight default columns (see theintroductory paragraph in this section).

You can pause the pointer on a column header to reveal a tool tip with a description of that column'sfunction.



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Using Message Search FiltersBecause messages have so many distinguishing elements, finding the right message (or group of messages) can betedious, especially if a channel has thousands of messages; thus, MC provides numerous corresponding filters tohelp you configure a well-targeted search. This section acquaints you with those filters.

About the Message Search Filters

To access these filters, on the page, select a channel, and in the panel, click the Dashboard Dashboard Tasks task.View Messages

Option Name Description

A Start/End Time Use the Calendar icons to populate these fields with the start/end dates of the desiredmessages; use the Hour fields to restrict the search to a range of hours, or check the

box to include messages that started/ended at all hours of the dayAll Day

B Text Search Enter text (e.g., patient name, IP address) to include message content, metadata, andconnector names containing the entered text; when you enter text in this field and clickthe button, the dialog appears, informing you that Search Select an Option Textsearching may take a long time, depending on the amount of messages being

, then asks Click the or button assearched Are you sure you want to proceed? Yes Nodesired

C Page Size Shows the max amount of messages that will appear on a page

D Advanced Reveals the dialog consisting of more specific search-filterAdvanced Search Filteroptions

E Reset Removes all filters from the previous search

F Search Starts the message search

G Status Check these boxes to search for messages with , , , SENT TRANSFORMED FILTERED, , and/or statusesQUEUED SENT ERROR

H Count Shows how many of the channel's messages match the search criteria

I Page (Multi-page lists) Activates when you click the button; enter a value (coincidingCountwith the page range) in this field, and click the button to display the desired pageGo

J < Prev/Next > (Multi-page lists) Click the button to go back one page or the button to< Prev Next >advance one page

The box displays various data relative to the most recent search.Current Search

About the Advanced Search Filters

To access this dialog, click the button on a page. (See Option D, previous section.)Advanced Channel Messages



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Option Name Description

A Current Connector Name Check any/all of the displayed boxes to find messages with the selectedconnector type(s)

B Select/Deselect All Click to select/deselect all connectors on the listCurrent Connector Name

C Message Id Enter an Id in the first field to find the message with that Id, or enter differentId's in each field to find the messages in that range of Id's (e.g., for MessageId, enter in the first field and in the second field to find Messages 1-10)1 10D Original Id

E Import Id

F Server Id Enter an Id to find all messages containing that server Id

G Send Attempts Enter min (first field)/max (second field) values to find messages with thenumber of send attempts in that range

H Has Attachment If checked, the search includes messages with an attachment

I Has Error If checked, the search includes messages with an error

J Content Type Click the box's button to add a search filter, then click the row in the New column, and select a menu option; double-click the row in the Content Type

column, and enter your search object ( refers to anContains Containselement shared by certain of the channel's messages)

K Metadata Click the box's button to add a search filter, then click the row in the New column, and select a custom-metadata menu option; click the rowMetadata

in the column, and select a search operator (=, , Operator CONTAINS), which determines the metadata to search for;STARTS/ENDS WITH

double-click the row in the column, and enter your search object; Value: if checked, the search is not case-sensitiveIgnore Case

L OK/Cancel Click the button to save or the button to disregard your changesOK Cancel



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Searching For a Message

This procedure instructs you how to conduct a message search (including the Advanced button) on a ChannelMessages page.

On the page, select a channel.Dashboard

In the panel (previous graphic), click .Dashboard Tasks View MessagesOn the page, select filters as desired, then click the button.Channel Messages Advanced

On the dialog, fill in the variable fields and checkboxes as desired, and click the Advanced Search Filter OK button.

On the page, click the button to reveal the selected message(s) n theChannel Messages Search oMessages List.



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Reprocessing MessagesMessages are reprocessed for many reasons (e.g., a message is errored because: it is improperly configured; thedestination channel is stopped, paused, or disabled), but the point is always to deliver the message successfully.Also, if multiple messages need reprocessing, you can conduct a search to collect the messages in question, thenreprocess the results of your search; that is, reprocess all messages returned by your search. This section consists ofprocedures that instruct you how to reprocess a message and reprocess the results of a message search.

Reprocessing a MessageYou can reprocess messages through a paused channel, and you can pause a channel during reprocessing withoutinterrupting the job; however, if you stop a channel during reprocessing, the entire job is cancelled and must beredone. The function reprocesses only the selected message. You cannot select multipleReprocess Messagemessages on the Messages List for reprocessing; to reprocess multiple messages, you need to conduct a search ofthe messages sharing the desired traits, and reprocess the results of your search; that is, the messages returned byyour search. (See the next procedure: Reprocessing Search Results.)


On the page, select the message you want to reprocess.Channel Messages

In the panel, click (previous graphic).Message Tasks Reprocess MessageOn the dialog, select options as desired, and click the button.Reprocessing Options OK

Search results are paginated by configurable page size (i.e., the most messages that can appear on apage). Change the default page size via the panel > tab.Mirth Connect Settings Administrator



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Reprocessing Search ResultsThis action simultaneously reprocesses messages resulting from a message search. This procedure starts on aallChannel Messages page after a message search.

Navigate to a page, and use the search filters to conduct a search for the desiredChannel Messagesmessages. (See if needed.)Searching for MessagesIn the panel, click .Message Tasks Reprocess ResultsIn the dialog, select options as desired, and click the button.Reprocessing Options OK

Importing/Exporting a MessageYou can import messages into Mirth Connect and export messages from MC to be stored elsewhere. This sectionconsists of procedures that instruct you how to import/export a message.

Importing a MessageThis procedure instructs you how to import a message to a channel.

On the page, select the channel into which you want to import the message, and in the Dashboard panel, click .Dashboard Tasks View Messages

If you check the box, the existing message isOverwrite existing messages and update statisticsreplaced and its statistics reset on the page. If you do not check this box, the selectedDashboardmessage is sent as a new message which appears in the channel's Messages List.

If you check the Overwrite existing messages and update statistics box, the existing messagesare replaced and their statistics reset on the Dashboard page. If you do not check this box, themessages are sent as new messages, which appear with those of the previous search on thatchannel's Messages List.



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On the page panel, click .Channel Messages Message Tasks Import Messages

On the dialog, click an option (in this case, ), and click the Import Messages Import From My Computer button.Browse

On the dialog, navigate to the folder containing the message file you want to import, select the file, andOpenclick the button.Open

The file appears in the field of the dialog; click the button.File/Folder/Archive Import Messages Import

If you select the radio button and browse for the desired file, the My Computer File/Folder/Archivefield is automatically populated when you click the button on the dialog in the next step.Open OpenIf, however, you select the radio button, you will need to populate the Server File/Folder/Archive field manually.

An dialog appears, informing you that the message was successfully imported. Click theInformation



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On the page, click the button to refresh the Messages List.Channel Messages Search

Exporting a MessageThis procedure instructs you how to export message data from a channel to a storage site outside MC. The exportfunction is (not, for instance, Export ) because MC requires you to search for theExport Results Messagemessage(s) you want to export; therefore, "Results" refers to the results of your search, whether for one or someother number of messages.

On the page, select the channel from which you want to export the messages, and in the Dashboard panel, click .Dashboard Tasks View Messages

button.OK

The message appears on the list with its contents in the window at the bottom of theMessagespage.

A unique identifier for each imported message appears in the column. ThisImport Channel Idalphanumeric code lets you readily identify messages that have been imported into the channel. Ifyou import a message into the channel from which it originated, an Import Channel Id is notassigned, and the row in that column will show a dash (), by which you can identify the messageas original to the selected channel.

The column (and others) can be chosen via the Column Options icon at theImport Channel Idright-hand end of the Message Lists's column header. (For directions on how to create a column, see

.)Viewing Messages

This procedure exports all messages in the selected channel. To export only certain messages, configurethe search criteria to include only your desired messages. To export only one message, use that message'sId (from the column of the Messages List). Click the button, and enter the Id in both Id Advanced

fields on the dialog, then click the button. On the Message Id Advanced Search Filter OK Channel page, click the button to reveal the desired message on the Messages List, and proceedMessages Search

from Step 2 of the export procedure.



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On the page panel, click .Channel Messages Message Tasks Export Results

On the dialog, select parameters as needed, and in the section, select a radioExport Results Export Tobutton (in this case, ), then click the button.My Computer Browse

On the dialog, navigate to the folder into which you want to export the message files, and click the Open button.Open

The destination folder appears in the field of the dialog. Click the button toRoot Path Export Results Exportexport the messages to the destination folder.

If you select the radio button and browse for the desired file, the My Computer File/Folder/Archivefield is automatically populated when you click the button on the dialog in the next step.Open OpenIf, however, you select the radio button, you will need to populate the Server File/Folder/Archive field manually.



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1.

2.

Sending a Message

When you send a message; that is, when you click the function, you send a message to the selectedSend Messagechannel, which processes the message and sends it to its destination. How the message is processed and where it issent depends on the channel's configuration. (See and .)Creating a Channel Editing a Channel

On the page, select the channel to which you will send the message.Dashboard

In the panel, click (previous graphic) to reveal the dialog.Dashboard Tasks Send Message Message

An dialog appears, informing you that the messages have been successfully exported.Information

to the destination folder Click the button, and goOK to view the exported messages.

The function in the panel lets you test a channel without having a liveSend Message Message Tasksincoming stream; that is, you can drop messages into a channel by opening or copying-pasting the contentsof a file.

You can send a message manually to a channel. You cannot send a message to a Paused Stoppedchannel.



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2.

3.

4. 5.

6.

Enter a message manually, or click an button (previous graphic) to automatically enter a messageOpen Filefrom the local file system.Click the button to send the message.Process Message (previous graphic)In the panel, click .Dashboard Tasks View Messages

Click the button to view the completed message in form.Search TRANSFORMED/SENT

Removing a Message

In the panel, three functions enable you to remove messages or message-search results:Message Tasks

Remove All Messages removes all messages from the selected channelRemove Results removes only messages found by a filtered searchRemove Message removes only the selected message.

This procedure instructs you how to remove one message from a channel. (You could use this procedure to remove

The page appears showing the message being processed. Channel Messages The greyed-out,italic type indicates the message is being processed according to the channel's configuration, whichcould direct it to store the message on your system or send it to an external destination.

RECEIVED means the channel received and is processing the message you sent to it.

TRANSFORMED means the channel processed the message; SENT means the channel sent themessage to its destination.

If you are on a page when you send a message, the message appears onChannel Messages RECEIVEDthe Messages List when you click the dialog's button. To view the completedMessage Process Messagemessage, click the button.Search



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1.

2.

3.

4.

all messages or remove search results from a channel by clicking the appropriate function in the Message Taskspanel.)


On the page, select the message you want to remove.Channel Messages

In the panel, click (previous graphic) to reveal the Dashboard Tasks Remove Message Select an Option dialog.

Click the button, and see that the selected message (in this case, 423) has been removed from the list.Yes

Working with Message StatisticsThis section consists of a brief overview of channel message statistics and procedures that instruct you how to clearthe Current and Lifetime message statistics of channels.

The page shows the channels' cumulative message statistics, including how many of each channel'sDashboardmessages were: . Statistics are classified as (having accumulatedReceived/Filtered/Queued/Sent/Errored Currentsince the last reset of the channel's statistics), and (having accumulated since the channel wasLifetimecreated). Click the radio buttons below the Channels List to view (default) or ,Current Statistics Lifetime Statisticswhich are shown in the next two graphics. Notice that some lifetime statistics are much higher than the same currentstatistics, indicating that the channel's current statistics have been cleared at least once since the channel wascreated.

Current Statistics

Lifetime Statistics



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1.

2. 3.

1.

Clearing Current Message StatisticsThis procedure instructs you how to clear the current message statistics of one channel. (You can clear the currentstatistics of multiple channels by selecting the desired channels and beginning this procedure at Step 2.)

On the page below the Channels List, click the button, and select a channel.Dashboard Current Statistics

In the panel, click (previous graphic).Dashboard Tasks Clear StatisticsOn the dialog, check the boxes of the statistic types you want to clear (checking all boxesClear Statisticsclears all message statistics from the channel), and click the button.OK

Clearing Lifetime Message StatisticsThis procedure instructs you how to clear message statistics from channels. (all all Mirth Connect has no provision for

)clearing all lifetime message statistics from an individual channel or group of channels.On the page panel, click .Dashboard Mirth Connect Settings

Note that the channel's current message statistics have been reset to zero.

Before performing Step 2, Mirth suggests that you thoroughly consider your reasons for clearing thelifetime message statistics. You cannot retrieve statistics that have been cleared via the Settings page.



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1.

2. On the page tab panel, click .Settings Server Server Tasks Clear All Statistics

About the Message-Processing FlowFundamentally, Mirth Connect breaks the message process into a series of steps divided between a and a Source

. Each source and destination connector has various versions of processed messages (not all of whichDestinationappear in each message):Source

Raw the state of the message as it enters the connectorProcessed Raw the state of the message after passing through the pre-processor script Transformed the message's intermediate XML representation, which exists only if a connector has filter ortransformer steps (a channel that has no filters or transformers is called a channel)pass-throughEncoded the state of the message as it exits the transformer (includes changes made to the transformeddata)Response the message sent to the originating system

Destination

Raw the state of the message as it enters the connector; in the destination connector, it is the same as thesource encodedTransformed the message's intermediate XML representation, which exists only if a connector has filter ortransformer steps (a channel that has no filters or transformers is called a channel)pass-throughEncoded the state of the message as it exits the transformer (includes changes made to the transformeddata)Sent the message/connector properties used by the destination connector to send messages to theoutbound systemResponse the message received from the outbound system after it sends the message via the destinationconnectorResponse Transformed the intermediate XML representation of the response, which exists only if adestination connector has response-transformer stepsProcessed Response the state of the response as it exits the response transformer (includes changesmade to the transformed data)

When you click , a warning dialog appears that requires you to enter in theClear All Statistics CLEARavailable field before clicking to complete the task, which you should do if you intend to clear OK only allmessage statistics from your channels.all



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3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9.

10. 11.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

The inbound message enters MC, is received by the source connector, is filtered and , then raw transformed encodedand sent to the destination connector. From the source connector, the raw inbound message can be passed throughmultiple destination connectors where it can again be influenced by filters and transformers before it is processed,encoded, and sent on.

Source Processing Steps(Filters and transformers are optional steps that broaden the scope of message and, consequently, the task ofmanaging it.)

A message is received by the source connector.(Optional an attachment must be present) The attachment handler extracts and/or stores any attachmentdata.The post-attachment-handler message is stored as content.raw

The raw content runs through the preprocessor script and is stored as content.(Optional) processed rawThe raw (or processed raw) content is serialized (converted) to XML.

The XML content runs through the filter.(Optional a filter must be present) The XML content runs through the transformer.(Optional a transformer must be present)

The post-filter/-transformer message is converted to XML and(Optional a filter/transformer must be present) stored as content. transformed

The XML content is encoded to the outbound data type (HL7,(Optional a filter/transformer must be present) EDI, etc) and stored as content.encoded

After all destination connectors are finished processing, the postprocesor is run.A response is selected from auto-generated values, the destination-connector response, the postprocessor,or response-map values and is stored as the source connector's content and returned to the dataresponsesource, if needed.

Destination Processing StepsThe encoded content from the source connector is used by each destination connector as its content.rawThe raw content is serialized (converted) to XML.

The XML content is run through the filter (optional)(Optional a filter must be present) The XML content is run through the transformer (optional)(Optional a transformer must be present)

The post-filter/-transformer XML content is stored as (Optional a filter/transformer must be present) content.transformed

The converted XML is encoded to the outbound data type(Optional a filter/transformer must be present)

If no filter or transformer is run, the stored content in this step is (see Step 3), not .raw encoded



44

6.

7.

8. 9.

10. 11.

12.

(HL7, EDI, etc.) and stored as the content. If no Filter or Transformer was run, the Raw content isencodedused as the Encoded content.

The destination connector builds a message from all available previous content, stores it as content, andsentsends it to the destination.The response is received by the destination connector and stored as the content.responseThe response content is serialized (converted) to XML.

The converted XML runs through the response transformer.(Optional a transformer must be present) The post-response-transformer XML is stored as (Optional a transformer must be present) response

content.transformedThe XML is encoded to the outbound data type (HL7, EDI, etc)(Optional a transformer must be present)

and stored as content.processed response

About Data TypesData types determine how to serialize (convert) inbound messages to/from XML so they can be easily modified in atransformer. Data types facilitate generating and validating responses, and batch processing.

Mirth Connect supports nine document standards or , as they are known in MC. This section details eachdata typesof those data types.

HL7 Version 2.xHL7 Version 3XMLNCPDPEDI/X12DICOMDelimited TextRawASTM E1394 (commercial).

HL7 Version 2.xDeveloped by Health Level 7, a non-profit healthcare-standards organization, this is an ANSI (American NationalStandards Institute) standard for healthcare-information exchange by hospitals, labs, pharmacies, and otherhealthcare sites. HL7 2.x, created in 1987 (and much more widely used than the newer HL7 version 3), is currentlysupported by every major health-information-systems vendor in the US. (HL7 2.x versions consist of: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3,2.3.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.5.1, and 2.6, all of which are backward compatible.) HL7 is a text-based standard, suing,non-standard encoding of message segments and data fields, for example:

MSH|^~\&|SENDAPP|SENDFAC|RECAPP|RECFAC|200812091126|SECURITY|ADTÂ01ÂDT_A01|MSG00001|P|2.5|EVN|A01|200812091126||PID|1|PATID1234|PATID1234^5^M11ÂDT1^MR^SHM~123456789^^ÛSSSA^SS|| TESTLAST^TESTFIRSTÊÎJR.II||19580704|M||C| 17628 AVOCADO AV^^TUSTIN^CA^92780|OC|(714) 838-1234|(714) 838-5678| S|[PATID12345001^2^M10ÂDT1ÂNÂ|123456789|U1234567^CA|NK1|1|TESTLAST^TESTSPOUSEFIRST^K|WI^WIFE||||NK^NEXT OF KINPV1|1|I|2000^2012^01||||001122^SLAGMONT^LYLE^|||SUR||||ADM|A0|

HL7 v2x messages consist of data elements called , each with a specific role. Dissecting a message helpssegmentsyou see each segment at work. The (Message Header) segment contains message-header information,MSHincluding the sending application and facility, receiving application and facility, message date/time, message type, HL7 version, and ACK type. All HL7 v2x messages begin with an MSH segment. The first field defines the fielddelimiter ( | ) highlighted in red; the second field defines the component ( ^ ) and subcomponent ( ~ ) delimiters,

If no filter or transformer is run, the stored content in this step is (see Step 1), not .raw encoded



45

escape characters ( \ ), and repetition delimiter ( & ) highlighted in green: MSH|^~\&|SENDAPP|SENDFAC|RECAPP|200812091126||SECURITY|Each HL7 v2x message has optional fields those that do not require data because the information does not exist,is not vital, or is otherwise not required by a specific healthcare entity's messaging protocols (e.g., secondary phone,middle name, apartment number, external patient ID). In the previous MSH-segment example, the optional Message

field is populated with the word SECURITY. The two consecutive delimiters before SECURITY indicate anType unpopulated optional field.

The (Patient Identification) segment contains non-medical patient data:PIDPID|1|PATID1234|PATID1234^5^M11ÂDT1^MR^SHM~123456789^^ÛSSSA^SS|| FIZZBOTTOM^BURNWELL^V^ 19580704|M||C|| |635 LONG ST^ÊNIDÔK^73701| OC|(580) 621-1234|(580) 621-5678||S||PATID12345001^2^M10ÂDT1ÂNÂ| 123456789|U1234567^CA|

These segments usually end with a carriage return \r (with hex spelling 0x0D). Fields in a message segment aredelimited by the character ( ). are fields with multiple c and are usually delimited by a pipe | Composites omponents

( ). In the previous example, PID.5 contains the patients name (in red), and is a field, separatedcaret ^ compositeinto four fields, one of which is empty, as indicated by the consecutive pipe symbols at the end of thecomponent segment.

ACK (Acknowledgment)This is a response to a received message. The (MSA) segment has the ACK data: theMessage Acknowledgmentmessage was accepted, rejected, or there was some other error condition. The accept-acknowledgement type(segment MSH.15) of the incoming message can be used to determine the type of ACK behavior.

MSH|^~\&|SENDAPP|SENDFAC|RECAPP|RECFAC|20080208163800||ACK|12345678|P|2.4|||MSA| |ABC098765|Referring provider not foundAE

Acknowledgment codes are stored in an ACK's MSA.1 field ( ) and have two modes:previous example, red highlight1) (most common): AA Application Accept, AE Application Error, and AR Application Reject; and 2) Original

: CA Commit Accept; CE Commit Error; CR Commit Reject.Enhanced

Batch ProcessingThis is used to process multiple messages as a group or . FHSs (file-header segments) and the BHSbatch file(batch-header segment) mark the beginning of the batch file. BTSs (batch-trailer segments) and the FTS (file-trailersegment) mark the end of such a file:

FHS|^~\&| SENDAPP|SENDFAC|RECAPP|RECFAC|20090402091523|| BATCH013.HL7|WEEKLY UPLOAD|00009972BHS|^~\&|SENDAPP|SENDFAC|RECAPP|RECFAC|20090402091523||||00010223 (messages) BTS|3FTS|1

LLPThe LLP (lower-layer protocol), aka MLLP (minimal lower-layer protocol), is the means by which HL7 v2x messagesare transmitted over TCP/IP. This encoding is manifest in special hex characters at the beginning (typically 0x0B) andend (typically 0x1C and 0x0D) of HL7 v2x messages.

The encoding specifies the acknowledgment behavior.



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Extending HL7 v2xThe HL7 standard has two mechanisms for extending the standard: , which allow custom segmentZ-Messagesordering; and , which allow custom-composite and data-type ordering. While extensions are allowed, theyZ-Segmentsare not usually recommended because they (especially Z-messages) introduce compatibility issues betweensystems.

Most Common Message TypesThe most widely used types of HL7 v2x messages are:

ADT (Admission, Discharge, and Transfer) received over LLP where patient demographic data is extractedand stored on a databaseORU (Observation Result) generated from transcription reports, read from a database, and sent to a labover LLPSCH (Schedule) created from scheduling events and sent to a database to update a calendaring system.

Notation for HL7 v2xMirth Connect uses dot notation to specify the parts of an HL7 message. ( ) refers to thePID Patient Identificationentire PID segment, while refers to the composite, and , the PID.5 Patient-Name PID.5.4 Patient-Name Suffix component (JR).

Line-Ending CharactersHL7 parsers (including MC's parser) expect all lines of an HL7 v2x message to end with a carriage-return character:

(0x0A). Unix ends lines with a new-line character: (0x0A); Windows ends lines with a carriage-return a\r \n andnew-line

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