Epic Bridges 101 Exam Questions and Answers (Graded A)

Epic Bridges 101 Exam Questions and Answers (Graded A) 2 Does every HL7 message have to be encoded with the characters |^~& ? Correct Answer: No, the encoding characters can be any printable character. 2 Imagine that your message begins with MSH|^~&|. How would you encode the string "The result is positive & has a value of 2.7 x 10^3."? Correct Answer: The result is positive T has a value of 2.7 x 10S3. 2 Why is the NTE segment special? Correct Answer: Context; its meaning depends on the segment it follows. 2 What is the difference between an empty field || and the delete character |""|? Correct Answer: An empty field is ignored by the interface, whereas the delete character will delete information from the database, assuming the field in question supports the delete character. 2 Aside from HL7 Version 2, name two other standards supported in Bridges? Correct Answer: X12, FHIR, NCPDP, DICOM, and Direct. 2 Perform basic parsing of an HL7 message, such as identifying the contents of a specific field or component Correct Answer: Make sure you can perform this task. 2 Escape the contents of a field that contains an encoding character by replacing it with the appropriate escape sequence Correct Answer: Make sure you can perform this task. 2 The difference between a null field and the delete character Correct Answer: Null is ignored while delete will remove if allowed 2 The context of an NTE segment Correct Answer: Varies based on segment 2 Which characters may be used as encoding characters Correct Answer: Any printable character 2 The importance of MSH-11 and MSH-12 Correct Answer: Epic will reject message if invalid 2 The expectations of using Z-segments Correct Answer: They have been defined and coded for within Epic 2 General use cases for X12 interfaces and FHIR Correct Answer: Real-time eligibility and provider/patient facing apps 3 What is Bridges? Correct Answer: Epic's interfacing application. It consists of both the interface infrastructure to build, send, receive, and file messages along with the tools and utilities to maintain those interfaces. 3 What are stored in the Event Queue? Correct Answer: The Event Queue contains the information needed to build a message. Usually this is a patient ID, an encounter DAT, and the type of message to be built, among other information. 3 What are stored in the Data Queue? Correct Answer: The Data Queue contains the text of HL7 messages and additional metadata. 3 What are stored in the Control Queue? Correct Answer: The Control Queue is a to-do list with instructions to send or file messages stored in the Data Queue. 3 Are messages ever manually deleted from the Data Queue? Correct Answer: No, never. They are purged only by an automated purge job. 3 What are two ways that interface messages are sent and received? Correct Answer: TCP/IP with an interface engine is the most common communication method. Interconnect is used for HTTPS or other communication outside your local network. 3 Describe the flow of messages in and out of Bridges for an interface using a TCP/IP connection. Correct Answer: See diagram on page 3-14 3 Describe the flow of messages in and out of Bridges for an interface using Interconnect. Correct Answer: See diagram on page 3-15 3 Trigger Correct Answer: A trigger is a single, clearly defined action that a user or process can take that can result in an interface message being created and sent. A trigger is generally an action in Hyperspace, like clicking a button or closing an activity. 3 Event Correct Answer: An event consists of a small set of values with the necessary information to build the message: the patient ID, the patient contact, the type of message, and other additional information. 3 Event Queue Correct Answer: List of events waiting for messages to be built and sent outbound. The Event Queue is managed by the Event Demon. 3 Data Queue Correct Answer: List of messages with metadata built by the Event Demon waiting for messages to be sent. Messages are added to the Event Demon and deleted by the Control Demon. 3 Control Queue Correct Answer: Essentially just a to-do list of messages in the Data Queue and contains very little data. 3 Event Daemon Correct Answer: Processes the Event Queue by pulling the next event off and using the information in the event to build the message (pulling additional data for the message from Chronicles). The Event Daemon then puts the message, along with some metadata including timestamp information, onto the Data Queue and adds an instruction to the Control Queue. 3 Filer Daemon Correct Answer: Filer Daemon pulls an instruction from the Control Queue, retrieves the corresponding message from the Data Queue, and then attempts to file the message. Filing means that the Filer Daemon attempts to store the data in Chronicles. If the Filer Daemon is successful, the data is added to the appropriate records in Chronicles. When there is a problem, and the data in the message cannot be filed, an interface error message is logged. 3 Communication Daemon Correct Answer: Manages communications for an interface (all types , e.g., TCP/IP, HTTPS, etc.) and processes messages on the Control Queue. 3 Locked Record Correct Answer: A record is locked when a user or process is updating it. This ensures that two people or processes aren't trying to update the same record at the same time and potentially corrupting the data. Epic supports partial patient locking so that only portions of the patient record need to be locked in order to file a message. For example, a lock on patient demographics would not prevent a result from filing. 3 Message flows in and out of Bridges with TCP/IP Correct Answer: See diagrams on 3-14 and 3-15 3 Resequencing using the Holding Queue Correct Answer: If a Filer Daemon attempts to file a message for a patient, but that patient's record is already being updated with an active lock, then the Filer Daemon stores the instruction for that message on another queue, the Holding Queue. The message remains on the Holding Queue until the lock is released, so that the Filer Daemon can move onto the next message in the Control Queue for processing. 3 Holding Queue Correct Answer: Messages pending the release of locking. The Filer Daemon checks messages on the Holding Queue periodically to determine whether messages on the Holding Queue are ready to file. Additionally, if the Filer Daemon encounters a message on the Control Queue that needs the same locks as a message already on the Holding Queue, that message is also added to the Holding Queue.