Understanding healthcare standards

Standards are widely used throughout the U.S. Government, public and private industry in all topic areas, not only in healthcare and healthcare information technology. For Health Information Technology (HIT) technical standards may be defined as an established norm or requirement.

While there are other standards types, the descriptions below are the most common. They may also be used for healthcare:

1) Specifications: Precise set of requirements that may be used in a Request for Proposal. Standards are often used to define the quality required for a particular project.

2) Conformance testing: Used to determine if the product, device or system functions as advertised. Standards are used to provide the set of requirements to test against.

Definition of Standard

A document established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. 2. A definition or format that has been approved by a recognized standards organization or is accepted as a de facto standard by the industry. Standards exist for programming languages, operating systems, data formats, communications protocols, and electrical interfaces.81, 7 HIMSS Dictionary, 2nd Ed.

Definition of Standard Development Organization (SDO)

Standardization in the field of information for health, and health information and communications technology  to achieve compatibility and interoperability between independent systems. Also, to ensure compatibility of data for comparative statistical purposes (e.g., classifications) and to reduce duplication of effort and redundancies.3 HIMSS Dictionary, 2nd Ed.

For additional resources on standards, please see the Resource Guide.

For additional Standards work visit the Standards Insight archive.

For further information, please contact Audrey Dickerson, secretary for ISO/TC 215 at adickerson@himss.org

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SNOMED Forms New Division To Promote International Adoption
SNOMED's international division changes name to reflect its recent changes. The new division marks a step forward in the international adoptioon of SNOMED. Read the full press release at http://www.himss.org/content/files/CAPSTS_news_091107.pdf.

HIMSS Approves Position on HITSP Interoperability Recommendations
The HIMSS Board of Directors approved, at its June 2007 board meeting, the following position statement in support of the Health Information Technology Standards Panel.