The Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture (CCDA) is a widely used data format for exchanging healthcare information.
Following the 2009 passage of the HITECH Act, the CCDA has been the de facto default export standard in electronic health record systems (EHR) systems. According to HealthIT.gov, CCDA support is essential for 2014 Edition EHR certification.
The CCDA’s Development History
The CCDA was developed by Health Level Seven International (HL7), a non-profit standards organization focused on healthcare data interoperability. The CCDA standard was first published in December 2011. It builds upon the capabilities of HL7’s Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) document format, which was released in November 2000.
As multiple formats were built upon the CDA standard, the CCDA was developed to consolidate patient data into a standardized export format. Like the CDA before it, the CCDA is based on the XML language.
The CCDA is important in a modern healthcare environment because it allows physicians to have a complete overview of a patient’s medical history. Most patient data is spread across multiple healthcare IT (HIT) systems. Without a format like the CCDA, it can be difficult for providers to have a comprehensive view of patient information. HIT systems that export data to the CCDA format help solve this problem by unifying data from multiple sources.
Document Types Covered in the CCDA
The CCDA standard covers 11 healthcare document types. They are:
Care Plan
Consultation Note
Continuity of Care Document
Diagnostic Imaging Report
Discharge Summary
History and Physical
Operative Note
Procedure Note
Progress Note
Transfer Summary
Unstructured Document
Although the CCDA is well-entrenched in healthcare IT, some industry observers expect it to be superseded by HL7’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) format. Whereas the CCDA was designed for exporting and transferring documents, the FHIR is focused on sharing patient data across systems via APIs.
How TempDev Can Help With Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture
TempDev’s team of NextGen consultants, developers, and trainers can help you implement, switch, or even upgrade your current EHR system. From dashboards, templates, and reports to revenue cycle consulting, automation, and workflow redesign, TempDev offers the tools you need to make the most of your NextGen EHR system. Our team is here to help you design, organize, and implement the whole system, with top tips and guidance based on industry best practices.
Contact us here or call us at 888.TEMP.DEV to get the help you need working with electronic health record systems and the CCDA format.
Interested?
Agree with our point of view? Become our client!
Did you enjoy this read? Feel free to share it with your contacts.
