Topic:  Explain the data interchange standards required to enable the flow of the information.

As part of the Stage 2 assignment, you will identify Data Interchange Standards the Midtown Family Clinic EHR system will use to exchange information with external organizations.  For this discussion, we will explore several different Data Interchange Standards, or “Interoperability Standards” as the ONC defines them.  First to understand the top challenges in sharing data, read

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2016/11/electronic-health-records-patient-matching-and-data-standardization-remain-top-challenges  This article highlights the need for data standardization.  Next, you will become familiar with the Interoperability Standards Advisory published and maintained by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)  https://www.healthit.gov/isa/ The purpose of the Advisory, as stated on the website is shown below.

The Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) is meant to serve at least the following purposes:

1. To provide the industry with a single, public list of the standards and implementation specifications that can best be used to address specific clinical health information interoperability needs. Currently, the ISA is focused on interoperability for sharing information between entities and not on intra-organizational uses.  
2. To reflect the results of ongoing dialogue, debate, and consensus among industry stakeholders when more than one standard or implementation specification could be used to address a specific interoperability need, discussion will take place through the ISA public comments process. The web-version of the ISA will improve upon existing processes, making comments more transparent, and allowing for threaded discussions to promote further dialogue.
3. To document known limitations, preconditions, and dependencies as well as provide suggestions for security best practices in the form of security patterns for referenced standards and implementation specifications when they are used to address a specific clinical health IT interoperability need.”