On January 12, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released The Draft United States Core Data for Interoperability, Version 4 (Draft USCDI v4). The USCDI is a standardized set of health data classes and constituent data elements that is updated annually by ONC. USCDI version 1 (USCDI v1) was adopted as a standard in the Cures Act Final Rule
With the publication of Draft USCDI v4, ONC proposed to add 20 data elements across one new (Facility Information) and eight existing data classes, which if finalized, would result in a USCDI v4 with 112 data elements organized in 19 data classes.as a required part of certain certification criteria and, as a result, certified health IT must be able to exchange USCDI data elements. This latest draft is open for public comment through April 17, 2023.
ONC plans to issue the final USCDI v4 specifications in July 2023, following public comment. Once finalized, ONC said it will consider the inclusion of the specifications in a “future cycle of the Standards-Version Advancement Process (SVAP), which permits health IT developers to voluntarily update their certified health IT with these new USCDI data elements and provide those updates to their customers.”
What does this mean for NextGen Healthcare clients?
While there is nothing actionable for healthcare providers related to this announcement, NextGen Healthcare will take an active role in studying and commenting on USCDI v4 proposal. As with previous versions of the USCDI data and other standards and regulations, our goal is to anticipate future updates and maintain our leadership in interoperability as a means of achieving better outcomes for all.