Epic Space Bridge™ – An HL7 Interface Message Transformation Solution

Most healthcare organizations use interface engines to route, manipulate, and filter messages between their EHR systems and external systems or third-party vendors. For example, vital signs may be transmitted from monitoring devices into the EHR, prescriptions sent to pharmacies, and lab results returned from diagnostic systems. 

In November 2022, Epic introduced Space Bridge™, a tool designed to work alongside Epic Bridges™ to simplify message transformations. While not a replacement for traditional interface engines, Space Bridge™ offers a streamlined way to manipulate data using straightforward logic and rules – particularly when complex transformations are difficult to implement within the engine.

Key Capabilities of Space Bridge™ 

• Insert or manipulate segments and fields 
• Concatenate or substring data 
• Apply conditional logic (e.g., If/Then rules) 
• Create vendor-specific data channels 
• Implement blocking and transformation conditions 

These transformations occur pre-daemon, ensuring no impact on system performance or message throughput. 

User Interface & Workflow 

Space Bridge™ provides a visual dashboard that displays messages before and after each transformation, enabling analysts to verify data placement and accuracy. Channels are created to route messages, and within each channel, specific field or segment manipulations can be defined using simple logic similar to Epic’s CER rules. 

Advantages 

• Ease of Use: Plain language commands (e.g., delete, set, copy, map) make it more accessible than traditional interface engines. 
• Cost Efficiency: Reduces reliance on third-party vendors for message formatting, potentially lowering integration costs. 
• Middleware Reduction: In many cases, Space Bridge™ eliminates the need for additional middleware solutions. 
• Quick solution for critical/time sensitive errors: If something happens causing an incorrect “Assigning Authority” or “ID type to occur”, then you can quickly add the logic to append the correct value. 

Limitations 

• Supports HL7v2 messages over TCP/IP or Interconnect 

• Does not convert HL7v2 to XML 

• Only functions within Epic’s Bridges ecosystem 

Interoperability Success  

Healthcare organizations face growing pressure to integrate more systems and data sources without compromising patient safety or operational efficiency. At CereCore, we leveraged Space Bridge™ within the Epic ecosystem alongside Bridges™ to deliver seamless interoperability and solve complex data transformation challenges.  

For example, during an EHR-to-EHR interface project, laboratory data required manipulation to align message formats between systems. Rather than over-engineering the interface engine, we used Space Bridge™ to execute these data transformations quickly and accurately. Similarly, for our blood bank solution, Space Bridge™ enabled us to meet stricter provider ID specifications required by the third-party software and avoid costly delays and manual workarounds.   

A Bridges Team Success Story 

When a sudden error caused by a new segment appearing in outbound messages led to failures and presented a potential safety issue, our Bridges team rapidly deployed a Space Bridge™ channel and applied logic to append the error. The immediate fix bought valuable time for the teams to collaborate, identify the root cause, and implement a permanent solution.  

Why does this matter for Epic-based organizations? 

Space Bridge™ offers flexibility and speed, reducing reliance on interface engine customization and minimizing risk during system challenges. It provides a way to manage increasing interoperability demands across your organization’s IT ecosystem. At CereCore, we are excited about the value and flexibility the SpaceBridge™ tool has demonstrated in supporting interoperability initiatives.