HL7 FHIR® Implementation Guide: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Edition 2 – US Realm

DESCRIPTION

This US-specific implementation guide (IG) provides guidance on the exchange of information for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) National Health Care Surveys (NHCS). The data are collected through surveys of ambulatory, inpatient, and outpatient care services in the United States: the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS). These surveys produce nationally representative data to answer key questions about health care utilization for public health professionals, researchers, and health care policy makers.

 

See the specification at http://hl7.org/fhir/us/health-care-surveys-reporting/STU2

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

HL7 FHIR® Implementation Guide: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Edition 2 – US Realm may also go by the following names or acronyms:

BENEFITS

• Creates a standardized format to represent ambulatory, inpatient, and outpatient healthcare data collected by the NCHS within the Division of Health Care Statistics (DHCS), NCHS, part of the CDC
• Enables automation of the survey data collection process by using FHIR to streamline the collection of data and increase the sample pool by allowing all providers who participate in the surveys to do so electronically
• Supports physician offices'/hospitals' ability to participate in the NCHS surveys by providing electronic files from their EHRs
• Increases the response rate of sampled hospitals and ambulatory health care providers to the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) over other data collection approaches
• Increases the volume, quality, completeness, and timeliness of the data submitted to the NHCS and NAMCS
• Reduces the burden associated with survey participation and reduce costs associated with recruiting hospital and ambulatory health care providers

IMPLEMENTATIONS/CASE STUDIES

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) sponsored the development of this specification
• CDC/NCHS is collaborating with Epic, Veradigm, and Oracle Health to support implementation activities

DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND

The NAMCS collects objective, reliable information about the provision and use of ambulatory medical care services in the United States. Findings are based on visits to health care providers at sampled health centers. Previously, sample visits to non-federally employed, office-based physicians were also included.

The NHCS is designed to provide reliable and timely healthcare utilization data for hospital-based settings. Non-federal, non-institutional hospitals with six or more staffed inpatient beds are randomly selected to provide nationally representative data on hospital utilization. Participating hospitals are asked to submit all inpatient discharges and emergency department visits for a 12-month period.

Previous versions of the analogous CDA implementation guide also supported a third survey, the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) which collected data on the use and provision of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency departments. The data historically gathered by NHAMCS is now collected through the NHCS.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

HL7 FHIR® Implementation Guide: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Edition 2 – US Realm

STU DOCUMENTS

	HL7 FHIR® Implementation Guide: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Edition 2 – US Realm See the standard at http://hl7.org/fhir/us/health-care-surveys-reporting/STU2.	(Submit Feedback on STU)
	HL7 FHIR® Implementation Guide: Health Care Surveys Content, Release 1 - US Realm See the standard at http://hl7.org/fhir/us/health-care-surveys-reporting/STU1.	Expiration Jul 2025

TOPIC

• Public Health

BALLOT TYPE

• STU

STATUS DATE

2026-02-10

RESPONSIBLE WORK GROUP

PRODUCT TYPE

• Implementation Guide

STAKEHOLDERS

• Clinical and Public Health Laboratories
• EHR, PHR Vendors
• Health Care IT Vendors
• Healthcare Institutions
• Regulatory Agency
• Standards Development Organizations (SDOs)

FAMILY

• FHIR

CURRENT STATE

• Active

REALM

• US Realm