In reality, we are a long way from that efficient model. As the management of health information becomes increasingly complex, standards are essential to meet varying data processing needs. For many HIM professionals, a working knowledge of standards is key. In this article, we'll take a brief look at types of standards and how standards are developed. For easy reference, the article also includes an overview of some of the key standards development organizations, coding systems, and data sets.
Standards are models approved by an authority or by general consent.
In health informatics, a standard defines a commonly agreed-upon manner of collecting, maintaining, or transferring data between computer systems. Until healthcare providers collect and maintain data in a standard format according to widely accepted definitions, it is nearly impossible to link data from one site to another. The lack of health informatics standards is one barrier to broad implementation of computer-based patient records. Standards are essential in the complex healthcare environment because data processing needs vary widely. Because no single vendor or in-house development group can meet an organization's needs, most groups use a variety of information systems.