Record Location Services

Policies covering the access, transmission, security, and governance of data are fundamental concerns among participants in electronic data exchange networks. Storing enterprise data in a single repository or warehouse is not always an acceptable solution.  One architectural approach that allows cooperation while maintaining a level of independent control is to deploy a Record Location Service (RLS).

A Record Location Service uses matching algorithms, enterprise unique identifiers, and record-linking logic to create a master index of the physical storage locations of all related and relevant data within the network. The RLS does not store the data itself, but maintains a record of where the data is located within the network. Data may be located on edge servers, at provider sites, in a central location, at a public health agency, or in any other number of places, and the RLS directs users to the correct stakeholder for retrieval.

No actual exchange of information takes place through the RLS. The RLS works in concert with an EMPI to direct an inquiring entity to all of the relevant information, without storing or sending any of the actual data.