Provider: HPD / ILPD / ELPD

Provider directories offer an easily accessible structure for managing and querying healthcare provider information in support of secure and reliable exchanges of health information. They present an electronic searchable resource that lists and maintains information on individual providers and organizational providers.

Provider directories are a key component in accomplishing Meaningful Use goals, and facilitating EHR systems’ interoperability.  They offer benefits to both the producers and consumers of the information.

Although standards are still emerging for these solutions, there are generally accepted principles, definitions, and approaches to implementing provider directories.

Healthcare Provider Directory (HPD)  - represents the high-level description and deployment profile of a directory structure containing a listing of individual providers and organizational providers.

Individual Level Provider Directory (ILPD)  – the directory of persons who provide healthcare services, such as a physician, nurse, or pharmacist.

Entity Level Provider Directory (ELPD) – the directory of organizations that provide or support healthcare services, such as hospitals, Healthcare Information Exchanges (HIEs), Managed Care, Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs), Counseling Organizations, and Associations.

The NextGate Provider Registry and Directory, and consulting services deliver a Provider Directory solution that supports current architecture guides and interoperability profiles.  The scope of the initial profiles focus on the minimum “foundational” attribute set required for defining a provider information directory, resulting in a usable work product.

As the profiles evolve, expand their data model, and define additional use cases and integration workflows, the NextGate Provider Directory solution will adapt to the situation and continue to deliver compliant technology.