title: The case for national health data standards.
abstract: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) contains groundbreaking provisions to encourage the development of a national health information system through the establishment of standards. This paper compares statewide inpatient data systems to one standard--the Uniform Bill (UB)--to understand how standards have been used and how they can be improved. We recommend changes to the UB, note the need for better compliance, and suggest new standards for common, derived elements.
authors.affiliation: HSS, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johantgen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elixhauser
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000592:standards*; D006291:Health Policy; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States