Public Health Data Standards: Partner Perspectives

National Association of Health Data Organizations

Denise LoveMarch 17, 2004

NAHDO’s Standards Perspective • Public health is broader than communicable

disease reporting and epidemiology• The source of public health’s data is the private

sector• Technological and political barriers require

innovative solutions• The Public Health Data Standards Consortium is

unique---composed of organizations representing diverse niches of expertise

NAHDO and Standards• NAHDO is actively engaged in health care data

standards activities• State health care data systems are based on UB-

92 or the UHDDS plus local fields• State health care data needs are evolving:

– e.g. nosocomial infections, race/ethnicity– Pharmacy, patient safety, and outpatient data initiatives

• Balancing reporting burden with benefits:– Reasonable and appropriate reporting requirements– Industry gets something in return or buys into the “public

good”

PatientDemographics

Patient StatusVariables

Clinical Variables

Linkage Variables

Financial Variables

Other Variables

Race/ Ethnicity

County Code

Marital Status

Patient Living Arrangement

Homeless indicator

Education

Occupation

Present on Admission Indicator

Do Not Resuscitate

PatientFunctional Status

Number of E-codes

Pharmacy Values

Gestational Age/newborn

Birth weight/Newborn record

Admitting vitals

Lab Values

Unique Patient ID

Physician ID

MMR on newborn record

EMS Run Number/record

Payer Field

Total Provider Paid Amount

Dates/Times of admit, discharge, procedures

Physician ID for each operating physician

UB-92-based Reporting Plus: Fields added byStates and Tracked by NAHDO

Data elements in red/bold are sought by National Purchasers for Quality

NAHDO’s Standards Activities Support our Base Constituencies

• AHRQ/HCUP National Data Standards Project (listserv, technical assistance)

• NCHS/CDC Education materials for Health Data Reporting Guide and E-codes

• AHRQ and CDC funding for NAHDO’s National Standards Consultant to attend: NUBC, X12N, HL7

• Consulting with Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Group to expand UB-04 to support quality-based purchasing

• National testimony on state positions • Training Workshops: teleconferences and in-person

funded by CDC, AHRQ/BRIC, membership funds

NAHDO’s National Standards Consultant

How the Consortium Fits with NAHDO’s Standards Initiatives

• NAHDO seeks Consortium support for its members’ health care data agenda

• NAHDO is a founding member of Public Health Data Standards Consortium

• The Consortium has the power:– To address cross-cutting standards issues– To combine voices around critical data needs

• Examples:– Unique patient identifier – Independent assessment of the PHIN and NHII

The Challenge

• Identifying the business model and its niche vis a vis other associations

• Remaining flexible to rapidly respond to evolving issues

• Anticipating the future: proactive vs. reactive