Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

Which standard is recognized for electronic data exchange in healthcare?

1. CCI

2. HL7

3. ICD

4. URL

The correct answer is: HL7

The recognized standard for electronic data exchange in healthcare is HL7, which stands for Health Level Seven International. HL7 provides frameworks and standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. It focuses on the interoperability of healthcare information systems, allowing diverse medical applications to communicate and share data effectively, which is crucial for facilitating patient care and streamlining healthcare operations. HL7 standards encompass various aspects including data formats, interfaces, and messaging protocols, enabling different healthcare entities such as hospitals, laboratories, and clinics to share information smoothly. This is essential in today's healthcare environment where timely access to accurate information can significantly impact patient outcomes. Other options like CCI (Canadian Classification of Interventions) and ICD (International Classification of Diseases) primarily serve as coding standards for classifying diagnoses and procedures rather than focusing on data exchange protocols. URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a reference to the specific address of a resource on the internet and doesn't pertain specifically to healthcare data exchange standards. Hence, HL7 stands out as the correct answer for electronic data exchange in healthcare.