To ensure a rapid path to implementation, IICC has established three active partnerships whereby members of the IICC Technical Team are assigned to specific partner organizations, becoming members of relevant work groups.Health Level Seven International (HL7) is the standards development organization (SDO) for IICC. Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is the integration profile developer for the IICC initiative. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) is the laboratory standards publisher for the IICC initiative.

Partnership for interoperability

Health Level Seven International (HL7) is the standards development organization (SDO) for IICC. In March 2010, IICC announced the selection of HL7 2.x as the baseline standard for next generation laboratory connectivity. The Orders & Observations Working Group within HL7 has responsibility for the IICC initiative, and IICC Technical Team members are members of this workgroup. HL7’s role within the IICC initiative encompasses the following:

• Maintain HL7 messaging standards and documentation
• Form Orders & Observations project if changes to HL7 standard are needed
• Collaboratively resolve interpretation issues of HL7 standards with IHE
• Contribute standards to CLSI for packaging and publication

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is the integration profile developer for the IICC initiative. The IHE Laboratory Technical Committee, which includes IICC Technical Team members, has the following roles and responsibilities:

• Develop a Laboratory Analyzer Workflow (LAW) integration profile that addresses IVD analyzer communication
• Maintain and update technical framework supplements and documentation
• Execute Connectathons to demonstrate connectivity
• Contribute implementation guides to CLSI for packaging and publication

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) is the laboratory standards publisher for the IICC initiative. Within CLSI, the Consensus Committee on Automation & Informatics is responsible for the IICC initiative. Its responsibilities:

• Launch a CLSI document development committee within Automation & Informatics to address the IICC initiative
• Package HL7 messaging standards with IHE integration profiles to create a new CLSI standard that supersedes LIS-1 and LIS-2
• Secure endorsements of the new standard from laboratory trade organizations such as AACC and IFCC
• Publish and promote new CLSI standard to the worldwide IVD community

A new CLSI document development subcommittee, which will include IICC Technical Team members, will be responsible for publishing the standard.