Healthcare Data and Exchange Standards

Data standards are critical for the interoperability of data across electronic health records (EHRs) and other clinical information systems. This chapter describes how standards are developed and by whom. It begins with the rationale for standards and their importance in the interoperability of data. It then covers the four major types of standards. The first of these is identifier standards, which represent people and organizations in the healthcare system, and, most importantly patients. Next are transaction standards that regularize business interactions among healthcare providers, organizations, governments, and others. This is followed by messaging standards, which move different types of data between information systems. Finally, are terminology standards that normalize terms and concepts used for diagnoses, treatments, and other aspects of care. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the emerging SMART on FHIR standard and its critical role in achieving interoperability going forward.