Question 1

What is PilotFish Software?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish is a powerful middleware solution and integration framework designed for efficient data exchange between systems, applications, databases, and devices—regardless of format or communication protocol. It enables "Anything-to-Anything" data integration with built-in support for industry standards, including HL7 (2.x, 3.x, and FHIR), X12 EDI, and ACORD XML. PilotFish also supports a wide range of data formats such as XML, JSON, CSV, XLS/XLSX, PDF, Flat Files, and Binary, ensuring flexible and effective integration across diverse environments.

Question 2

What is the eiConsole?

Accepted Answer

The eiConsole is a graphical IDE used to configure, test, and deploy integration interfaces—without coding. It supports HL7, FHIR, X12 EDI, flat files, and more. Interfaces are built as visual workflows, using drag & drop data mapper. It’s schema-agnostic and designed for fast development and easy maintenance.

Question 3

What is the eiPlatform?

Accepted Answer

The eiPlatform is PilotFish’s runtime engine. It executes interfaces built in the eiConsole, handling real-time and batch processing. It supports multithreading, error handling and complex routing logic. Built on Java, it's deployable on-prem, in the cloud or in containers like Docker.

Question 4

What is the eiDashboard?

Accepted Answer

The eiDashboard is a web-based monitoring and management tool. It gives users real-time visibility into system health and transaction status. You can track errors, view logs and restart failed processes--all from a centralized interface.

Question 5

What is the eiTestBed?

Accepted Answer

The eiTestBed is a self-service testing and validation solution. It automates interface certification and partner onboarding. Users upload test files, validate them against rules or schemas and get instant feedback. It reduces support load and speeds up compliance testing.

Question 6

What is PilotFish used for?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish integration solutions are used to enable the integration of disparate systems using industry and XML standards. The PilotFish Integrated Development Environment (IDE) features a graphical automated interface assembly line process that allows users to build manage and maintain interfaces without any coding or scripting.

Question 7

How does an interface engine work?

Accepted Answer

Interface engines are software architected to receive incoming messages and route them to the appropriate target information systems. They also translate the messages into formats that the receiving system can understand. Standardized protocols are employed for exchanging data. Efficient tools for parsing and data validation and up-to-date application software are expected.

Question 8

What is an interface engine in healthcare?

Accepted Answer

Interface Engines in healthcare are software systems for exchanging healthcare information in use cases involving disparate systems communicating over different protocols. They must adeptly handle data transformation and exchange of not only large batch-oriented data and HL7 2.x and other version messaging, but also highly conversational XML and JSON APIs – including HL7 FHIR.

Question 9

What is a healthcare integration engine?

Accepted Answer

A Healthcare Integration Engine is a software system designed to exchange disparate healthcare information between the systems in the healthcare ecosphere communicating over different protocols. They handle data transformation and exchange of not only large batch-oriented data and all versions of the HL7 messaging standard as well as highly conversational XML and JSON APIs, including HL7 FHIR.

Question 10

What file types can be processed by PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish is capable of processing X12 EDI, XML, CSV, JSON, PDF,HL7, FHIR, NCPDP,ACORD files and many others. See Product Specifications .

Question 11

What are the benefits of using PilotFish’s integration engine for Healthcare Payers?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish's integration engine for healthcare payers provides a comprehensive solution for healthcare payer integration, with benefits such as rapid interoperability, support for healthcare standards, and easy deployment. Additionally, the platform is designed to streamline healthcare payer operations, improve CMS compliance, and reduce costs.

Question 12

What is integration engine software?

Accepted Answer

Integration engine software is a software program and its components architected to process data received from source systems, translate the messages into formats required by receiving target systems, and then route the data to the identified targets. Think nerve center, traffic cop or hub to manage all the data flows between the disparate and multiple technologies in an IT environment.

Question 13

What standards and terminologies does PilotFish support in the healthcare industry?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish is designed for comprehensive adaptability, supporting a wide range of health-related standards including X12 EDI, NCPDP, HL7, CDA, and FHIR. Additionally, it is proficient in various health-related terminologies like LOINC, SNOMED, CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10, and RXnorm, among others. This extensive support ensures seamless integration for a multitude of healthcare applications.

Question 14

Is PilotFish software used for Healthcare Payer Solutions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish provides software solutions for healthcare payer integration and claims processing. PilotFish's integration engine for payers helps streamline healthcare payer operations, improve CMS compliance, and manage EDI solutions. PilotFish's suite of integration engine solutions delivers rapid interoperability in virtually every area of healthcare, including healthcare payer integration. PilotFish's software is utilized by 90% of the top insurers and leading health payers, and its proven EDI claims processing solutions for Property & Casualty insurers and Health Payers address the needs of healthcare payers. PilotFish has also partnered with healthcare tech companies to provide best-of-breed integration software purpose-built for facilitating the interoperability of disparate systems for healthcare payers.

Question 15

Does PilotFish offer a Software as Service model (SaaS)?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish solutions can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, but a SaaS model is not available. PilotFish does provide initial setup and training services.

Question 16

How frequently does PilotFish update its software to adhere to the latest industry standards?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish conducts annual major updates and additional minor releases throughout the year to ensure compliance with the latest industry standards. See PilotFish Release Notes.

Question 17

How flexible is the triggering system for transformations in PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish offers a highly flexible triggering system for transformations, allowing configurations based on a variety of conditions, including specific data attributes.

Question 18

What enables PilotFish to integrate with APIs for workflow automation?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish's integration with APIs for workflow automation is enabled by its flexible architecture, which supports triggering processes based on data availability and specific events to enhance operational efficiency.

Question 19

What skill set is required to work in the PilotFish environment?

Accepted Answer

Business analysts can manage data mapping, while software developers should handle final testing and any advanced customization.

Question 20

What industries does PilotFish serve beyond healthcare?

Accepted Answer

Since 2001, PilotFish has been a leader in insurance and financial services integration. In addition to healthcare interoperability, the PilotFish engine supports industries like EDI supply chain, manufacturing and logistics, offering versatile data integration solutions.

Question 21

What sets PilotFish apart from its larger competitors?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish stands out from larger competitors like Cloverleaf and Rhapsody with its flexible, standards-agnostic integration engine. It supports a wide range of formats-including HL7, X12 EDI, JSON, and more-making it a strong fit across industries. What really sets it apart is ease of use-business analysts can configure and manage interfaces without specialized coding skills, reducing IT bottlenecks and improving scalability.

Question 22

PilotFish stands out from larger competitors like Cloverleaf and Rhapsody with its flexible, standards-agnostic integration engine. It supports a wide range of formats-including HL7, X12 EDI, JSON, and more-making it a strong fit across industries. What really sets it apart is ease of use-business analysts can configure and manage interfaces without specialized coding skills, reducing IT bottlenecks and improving scalability.

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can connect directly to an SFTP server and retrieve files using its built-in FTP/SFTP Listener. An intermediary process to transfer files is not necessary.

Question 23

What ensures the long-term stability and support of PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish has been in continuous operation since 1994. The platform is built on stable, mature technologies including Java, XML, and XSLT—ensuring long-term viability, ongoing support, and future-proof integration for mission-critical systems.

Question 24

How does PilotFish seamlessly integrate data from diverse sources and formats?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish's integration engine effortlessly processes data from various sources and formats, automating data transformation and normalization to align with client and trading partner system requirements.

Question 25

Can PilotFish support multiple data sources and targets, and how does it handle data routing?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can handle multiple data sources and targets. It uses a highly configurable routing mechanism to differentiate and process data accordingly, which can be tailored to meet specific workflow requirements during the setup. Watch this video demo with HL7, X12 EDI, FHIR input data sources and then JSON and a database as the target formats.

Question 26

Can PilotFish’s Listener component manage various communication protocols and data transformations?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, the PilotFish Listener component expertly manages an extensive array of communication protocols and executes macro operations on incoming data, enhancing flexibility in data receipt and preprocessing.

Question 27

What methods enable external systems to trigger executions in PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

External systems can trigger executions in PilotFish via HTTP posts among other methods, facilitating seamless integration with a variety of external systems.

Question 28

Can PilotFish integrate with other organizations via API?

Accepted Answer

Definitely. Whether it's a custom API, a third-party platform, or a legacy system, PilotFish provides flexible connectors and API support to ensure smooth interoperability between organizations.

Question 29

Does PilotFish support EDI formats like X12 and HL7?

Accepted Answer

Yes! PilotFish is built for EDI integration, handling everything from X12 and HL7 to FHIR. It transforms, validates, and moves data between systems with ease.

Question 30

Can PilotFish integrate with a SQL database as a data source?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish fully supports SQL-based integrations. It can query databases, execute stored procedures, and retrieve data for seamless processing. See SQL Database Polling Listener.

Question 31

Can external applications, databases, or APIs access PilotFish configurations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish allows external systems such as applications, databases, or APIs to interact with its configurations through supported callouts, lookups, etc. at any point in the workflow, facilitating versatile integration options.

Question 32

What is considered a ‘message’ in the PilotFish Integration Engine system?

Accepted Answer

Within the PilotFish Integration Engine, a 'message' refers to any distinct transaction processed by the system. This encompasses a variety of data formats and communication protocols, including HL7, EDI, JSON messages, HTTP requests, and other data exchange methodologies.

Question 33

How does PilotFish manage bidirectional communication for complex data updates, such as updating a Care Plan?

Accepted Answer

In PilotFish, bidirectional communication is facilitated through configurable pipelines designed for robust data exchange. Depending on the complexity of the updates—like those involved in a Care Plan—these pipelines may be adapted to support asynchronous processes, ensuring accurate and timely data synchronization across systems.

Question 34

Does PilotFish support MQ connections (Message Queuing) for both inbound and outbound transactions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish provides out-of-the-box support for MQ, enabling direct connections for both picking up and delivering messages in inbound and outbound transactions.

Question 35

Does the PilotFish integration engine require a database to operate?

Accepted Answer

The PilotFish integration engine does not require a database for basic operations. However, a database is necessary if you plan to use archival services or additional features such as the eiDashboard.

Question 36

Does PilotFish enable real-time data integration and live reporting?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, PilotFish facilitates instantaneous data exchange and provides the eiDashboard a web-based application for dynamic, real-time reports and dashboards.

Question 37

How does PilotFish handle real-time and synchronous use cases?

Accepted Answer

Unlike traditional batch-oriented systems, PilotFish is designed for real-time and synchronous integrations. It efficiently processes transactions as they occur, making it ideal for interactive workflows. See this real-time integration case study example.

Question 38

Can the system be scheduled to check for files periodically?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish's eiConsole listener adapters include scheduling options for periodic polling. You can configure intervals like seconds, minutes, or specific time-based schedules.

Question 39

Can PilotFish automatically pull data from shared locations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can be configured to automatically pull data from shared locations on a scheduled basis. This feature facilitates seamless data integration and processing without manual intervention.

Question 40

Can PilotFish automate the updating and processing of Excel files received and sent via SFTP?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish automates the updating and processing of Excel files received via SFTP, with the ability to handle and adapt to various file formats from different providers, and then push the updated files back to an SFTP server.

Question 41

Can PilotFish manage re-enveloping and control sequencing for outbound transactions to different trading partners?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish efficiently manages the re-enveloping of outbound files and assigns correct control numbers for each transaction, ensuring that every trading partner receives files with the appropriate sequence numbers. See Trading Partner Management.

Question 42

Can PilotFish automate sequential processing for transactions like purchase orders and invoices?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can automate workflows so transactions process in order. For example, a purchase order (EDI 850) can trigger a credit check before being sent to an ERP system.

Question 43

Can PilotFish link related transactions, like purchase orders (EDI 850), acknowledgments (EDI 855), invoices (EDI 810), and ASN (EDI 856)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish links transactions using common identifiers like control numbers or purchase order numbers, ensuring full traceability across related documents.

Question 44

Can users define custom output fields in mappings?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish allows you to add new fields to mapping structures, either manually or by editing XML schema files to fit your specific needs.

Question 45

How does PilotFish handle complex SQL queries?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish gives you full control over SQL query construction—no matter how complex. Whether you're running multi-join queries, subselects, or nested logic, PilotFish supports complete SQL customization and dynamic parameterization.

Question 46

What’s considered a transaction in PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

In PilotFish, one transaction equals one file. For example, an EDI 837 or EDI 835 file is treated as a single transaction, regardless of how many claims or records it contains.

Question 47

Can PilotFish’s integration engine be used to integrate with non-healthcare entities?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish's integration platform suite of products enables the integration of anything to anything, anywhere and in any way. Additionally, our integration engine is being leveraged by virtually every stakeholder in healthcare, including data analytics and revenue cycle providers, channel partners and manufacturers. PilotFish's software handles X12 EDI, HL7, FHIR, NCPDP, CCDA, ACORD, XML and more with over 200 B2B processors, transports, and listeners included out-of-the-box.

Question 48

Can PilotFish’s integration tools be applied in industries other than data integration and do they cater to a technical user base across various sectors?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish's integration tools are versatile and applicable across multiple industries, catering to technical users with diverse integration needs. Whether you work in healthcare, finance, insurance, or any other sector requiring data conversion, PilotFish's tools can be tailored to suit your technical requirements, making them a valuable asset in various domains.

Question 49

Why is long-term viability important when selecting PilotFish as your integration platform?

Accepted Answer

Long-term viability is crucial because it ensures that PilotFish remains a robust and adaptable solution for your integration needs. The platform supports every principal healthcare standard and data source, such as X12 EDI, NCPDP, HL7, CDA, FHIR, and XML. It's designed to seamlessly accommodate emerging standards and formats, ensuring your investments are future-proof.

Question 50

Does PilotFish support integrations with systems outside of healthcare?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can integrate with various systems via APIs, including CRM systems like Salesforce and other enterprise applications.

Question 51

Can PilotFish connect to any payer system?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can connect to any payer system, leveraging its robust integration capabilities. We have extensive experience working with the largest payers in the United States, ensuring seamless and secure data exchanges. See payer integration solutions.

Question 52

Can PilotFish handle both patient data retrieval and updating patient records in real-time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can retrieve patient data using APIs and update patient records in real-time, provided the target system supports these operations.

Question 53

Can PilotFish manage both medical and pharmaceutical benefit eligibility verifications?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish efficiently processes eligibility inquiries for both medical and pharmaceutical benefits, ensuring comprehensive validation and support for clinical transactions. See our Pharmacy Claims Processing or NCPDP Integration Solution case studies as examples.

Question 54

Can PilotFish redirect claims to third-party processors?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can route claims to any third-party processor as required. For example, If you need the claim sent via FTP, PilotFish can drop a file anywhere it is required. The PilotFish product suite includes 40+ Listeners/Adaptors that ship with the product and an Open API, which allows for the creation of custom adapters using Java or .NET.

Question 55

Can third-party software be integrated to de-identify when using PilotFish?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish can interact with third-party software for de-identification midstream within a route, offering flexibility in meeting specific data security and privacy requirements.

Question 56

Does PilotFish support ITX and SPLUNK integrations for file conversions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PilotFish includes ITX or "Interpreted Text" compatibility and has built-in Splunk Listeners and Processors for immediate Splunk integration.

Question 57

Does the PilotFish platform support integration with the UKG Pro Human Resources software?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we can facilitate calls to UKG Pro's API via RESTful web services through configuration of our RESTful Web Service Modules.

Question 58

Can routes be cloned to avoid recreating the same process for each client?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! With PilotFish, you can easily duplicate routes to streamline the process without manually recreating workflows for every client. See example - HL7 interface templates for reuse.

Question 59

Does PilotFish support bulk importing of trading partners?

Accepted Answer

Yes, trading partners can be imported in bulk using SQL queries, making large-scale data entry fast and efficient.

Question 60

How does PilotFish handle DICOM worklist integration?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish supports bidirectional integration between imaging systems and EMRs by facilitating DICOM worklist transactions. It enables seamless data exchange, ensuring accurate and real-time synchronization between radiology workflows and patient records. Learn more in our case study on DICOM integration with multiple vendors.

Question 61

How does data exchange work between PilotFish and hospital EHRs?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish conforms to each hospital's data exchange preferences—whether through HL7 messages, FHIR APIs, or database connections. It intelligently transforms, validates, and routes data to ensure compatibility across systems. See Product Specifications.

Question 62

Does PilotFish support bidirectional data exchange?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for example, PilotFish can pull patient data (e.g., medications, allergies, appointments) and push back physiological data, reports, and clinical notes. Pilotfish can work bidirectionally with any data format or industry standard making it highly adaptable to various healthcare workflows.

Question 63

What is the best data mapper?

Accepted Answer

The best data mapper allows users to visually map data using drag & drop and without any coding or scripting. PilotFish offers a data mapping component as part of its integration solution that does just that. PilotFish's data mapper features a sophisticated 3-pane visual drag & drop mapper that allows users to do anything that they can do programmatically in the graphical view. The PilotFish data mapper makes users more productive and offers reusability for HL7, HIPAA EDI, XML, NCPDP, CCDA and other message types. It can handle any data mapping task from simple to complex without coding/scripting or users can work directly in the XSLT view. Watch the video to see it in action.

Question 64

How user-friendly is PilotFish’s Data Mapper for non-technical users?

Accepted Answer

PilotFish's Data Mapper component, powered by XSLT, provides intuitive graphical mapping ideal for non-technical users, along with direct code editing capabilities for advanced transformations, accommodating all user proficiency levels.

PilotFish Products FAQ

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