HHS updates interoperability standards to support sexual orientation, SDOH

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has updated the United States Core Data for Interoperability – a standardized set of health data classes and constituent data elements – to allow for the electronic exchange of information on sexual orientation, gender identity and social determinants of health.

The goal is to standardize the electronic exchange of these pieces of information, along with other updated data elements. This, ONC said, lays the foundation for the provider community to start systemizing the capture and use of SDOH and SO/GI data in the clinical setting.

The version 2 update does not require health professionals to record the data or individuals to share the data, although it is encouraged. Instead, it sets a path forward for health IT to build in support for exchanging these data as they become applicable to an individual's care.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many challenges in the nation's healthcare system, and among them is the need for more reliable data to better understand the public health needs of a more diverse cross-section of Americans – particularly vulnerable individuals or those who have long felt marginalized by the medical community.

Currently, many healthcare facilities have not developed systems to collect structured SO/GI data from all patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without this information, said ONC, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients and their specific healthcare needs cannot be identified and targeted. 

Similarly, without insights into social determinant factors that may be impacting one's ability to successfully manage their health, health professionals may be hampered in their jobs, ONC said.

More than 600 data classes and elements, including merged and duplicated data elements, were submitted by the health IT community as part of USCDI version 2's development cycle. The USCDI will continue to grow as standards mature and industry needs evolve. 

USCDI version 2 includes three new data classes and a total of 22 new data elements. It's available for consideration as part of ONC's Standards Version Advancement Process, which will take place this fall. 

The SVAP allows health IT developers to update their certified health IT to support newer versions of the USCDI – among other standards – and provide those updates to their customers, including providers and hospitals, before they are required by regulation. The release will kick off additional work within standards development organizations to update implementation guides and other technical requirements to come into alignment with version 2's new data elements.

THE LARGER TREND

The USCDI is a standardized set of health data-classes and data elements that are essential for a nationwide, interoperable health information exchange. The USCDI includes "clinical notes" and allergies and medications, among other important clinical data, to help improve the flow of electronic health information and ensure that the information can be effectively understood when it is received. It also includes essential demographic data to support patient matching across care settings.

As required by ONC's Cures Act Final Rule published in May 2020, and in a subsequent interim final rule extending the compliance deadline published in April, certain developers of certified health are required to provide their customers with upgraded certified health IT that supports USCDI version 1 by December 31, 2022. Any future versions of USCDI, as approved through the SVAP, would be voluntary for implementation until a new final rule is published requiring such an update.

The rules have the goal of giving patients greater access to their healthcare data.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com