EDI (electronic data interchange): the best in business partner cooperation.

This is the first of a three-part series on electronic data interchange (EDI) applications in the materials management and accounts payable departments, especially as they relate to transactions with outside vendors. Part Two will cover EDI applications within a hospital, from one computer system to another. The article will illustrate how the new HL7 standards will make "seamless" interfaces an economic reality for the first time. Part Three will focus on the paperwork reduction aspects of EDI, and the resultant cost savings. Through the use of permanent CD-ROM storage, the day will come when a hospital's business transactions (purchase orders, invoices, checks) as well as medical records, will never be generated on paper.