What practical challenge often resulted from implementing HL7 v2 connections?

Required meticulous, point-to-point configuration between two specific applications.

Implementing older interoperability standards like HL7 version 2 frequently presented significant logistical hurdles due to their foundational design. Establishing communication between two specific systems often demanded meticulous, point-to-point configuration. This meant that for every unique connection required between two applications, IT teams had to essentially create a custom integration project tailored precisely to those two systems. This process was cumbersome, required specialized knowledge of the specific message formats, and did not benefit from a universal, plug-and-play standard, leading to substantial effort and cost every time a new data exchange pathway was needed.