Provider and Location Registry (PLR)

Overview of Service

British Columbia's PLR is a trusted source of health care provider (e.g., physicians, pharmacists, nurses) information available to authorized users. This information is provided by organizations such as (but not limited to):

  • College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC
  • College of Pharmacists of BC
  • Registered Nurses Association of BC
  • Medical Services Plan of BC
  • Provincial Health Services Authority

Purpose

Health care organizations use the PLR to obtain current, accurate information and to update their existing systems.

Organizations can choose to use PLR web-based functionality and/or to develop and implement electronic interfaces, in order to use provider data. The PLR does not replace proprietary systems that manage provider data held within organizations.

Functions currently available in the PLR include:

  • Maintain Provider - add and update provider data
  • Query Provider - search and retrieve provider data, provider add and update notifications

Pre-Requisites

In order to access the PLR, organizations must:

  • Design, build, and test interfaces
  • Pass conformance
  • Negotiate a data sharing agreement with the data source as a consumer of PLR data
  • Negotiate an information sharing agreement with the Ministry of Health as a PLR data source
  • Prepare an implementation strategy with the Ministry of Health PLR administrator

Supporting Documentation

HL7 Messaging Packages

The following packages are available for prospective Sources and Consumers who wish to use HL7 interactions with the PLR:

  • PRS 4.0 (provider add and update messages)
  • PRS 4.1.7 (query and notification messages)