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Glossary of Terms

Term

Description

ACC Accident Compensation Corporation
Action Process to be taken before endorsement by HISO. 1 = Adoption (~2 month) 2 = Fast Track (~6 months), 3 = Primary (~9 months plus)
Adoption Process Adoption of standards process – provides the flexibility to support the ratification / endorsement of a standard where there is a level of maturity with the standard that is being put forward that requires limited, if any consultation, most probably just an expert committee.
Adoption Ready Ready for endorsement by HISO as is, or ready for endorsement by HISO subject to some minor amendments, e.g. make publication ready
Advisory Local and international bodies and/or people who assist HISO or an Expert Committee in an advisory capacity
AMT Australian Medicines Terminology
API Application Protocols Interface
Business Process The business process(es) that constitute all, or part of, an eHealth system or application
Candidate Standard An identified opportunity to develop a standard, technical specification or guideline (one that is suitable for immediate endorsement or application of the fast track or primary standards development processes)
CEN CEN is the European Standards body.
CEN / TC251 CEN Technical Committee 251 handles everything to do with medical informatics.
CHECKMATE Collaboration for Health and Clinical Knowledge Management and Technology
CLANZ Clinical Leaders Association of New Zealand
Coding The classification and vocabulary standards for coding, and so on, for medical and other healthcare status/condition/ services, etc. Usually a unique code representing a specific data element.
Common There is, or could be, standards a created / used by multiple sources, with multiple and different versions rather than a single standard.
Component Standard The components within each category of standard – Information Standards, Infrastructure Standards, Emerging Standards
Core There is, or should be, essentially one version of a standard in widespread use across the sector (note: this is also the target for some standards which are defined as ‘common' e.g. having one version of a standard is an essential part of sharing information).
CPI Clinical Performance Indicators
Data Element A single piece of data, for example first name, last name.
Data GroupA collection of data elements which are related
Data Set A collection of data groups used for specific purposes
DHB District Health Board
DHBNZ District Health Boards New Zealand
DICOM Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
Direction of Travel A version currently under development or available locally / internationally or not being used currently but is the intent/desired standard.
e-GIF Electronic Government Interoperability Framework
Emerging Standards A type or category of standard where there is a current or emerging sector business need, but where standards have not yet been determined (e.g., business process, IT system and network operations, vendor accreditation, ehealth architecture, and knowledge). This includes, but is not limited to, these Component Standards:

Business Processes

eHealth Architecture

Knowledge

Vendor

Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) Committee identified with expert skills for each individual standards development project.
Fast-track process Fast-track standards development process – provides the flexibility to support the development and ratification of a standard where there is a level of maturity with the standard that is being put forward.
Guideline An Output Type – a document to provide practical guidance on the application of, or compliance with a standard, but it may be stand alone guidance or process information, e.g. Health Network Code of Practice
HINZ Health Informatics New Zealand
HISA Health Informatics Society of Australia
HISACHealth Information Strategy Advisory Committee
HISO Health Information Standards Organisation, a sub-committee of HISAC
HISO Committee Current elected committee to govern the organisation
HISAC Service Delivery Leader HISAC person responsible for the management of HISO’s programme of work
HISO Project Numbers Unique number given to each project
HISAC Standards Development AdvisorHISAC person responsible for managing individual standards development projects.
HL7 Health Level Seven Language
HPI Health Practitioners Index
IHTSDO International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation
Information Standards A type or category of standard which includes these Component Standards:

Data definition – data element standards (description of data, structure and content)

Coding – code set standards (classification and vocabulary standards)

Storage – storage standard (structure and content for an electronic health record)

Privacy, authentication and access control

Infrastructure Standards A type or category of standard which includes these Component Standards:

Messaging (standards used for the interchange of data),

Telecommunications and computer networks

Devices and systems

Security (physical security, transportation)

IPAC Independent Practitioner Association Council
ISO International Organisation for Standardisation
LOINC Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes
Mandatory Relates to the mandatory use of a standard. MANDATORY means that if a standard is to be used, then the MANDATORY standard is the one that MUST be used.

It does NOT, of itself, mean that a standard MUST be used.

For example (hypothetically), the use of the ‘patient identifier’ mandatory standard as part of a transaction is not mandatory, but where a ‘patient identifier’ standard is to be used as part of a transaction then the use of that standard is mandatory.

Mature Standard A standard that is in common use and has widespread acceptance in the health sector or in one or more parts of that sector can be regarded as a mature standard that is ripe for adoption. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be the only standard as there may be different standards for slightly different purposes, e.g. consider the overlap and the differences between READ, SNOMED, ICD-CM (which are all mature but have different strengths/focus). Therefore, the standard may only be approved for a specific application and there may be provisos, e.g. in the case of the clinical classifications above, that code conversion is available / implemented.
Message Structure Data elements combined in a single entity and formatted in such a way as to be able to be sent between two parties and to then be able to retrieve each data element.
Messaging Protocols Rules around message structure.
MoH Ministry of Health
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
NHI National Health Index
NIR National Immunisation Register
NZHIS New Zealand Health Information Services
NZHITC New Zealand Health IT Cluster
NZHUG New Zealand HL7 User Group
NZIMLS New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science
Optional Relates to the optional use of a standard. A standard that is not essential but is preferred (“Should”) be used.
Output Types The types of standards that are outputs of the application of the process of standards development. These are Standard, Guideline, Technical Specification
PAS Privacy and Security
PHO Primary Health Organisation
PPMS Primary Practice Management Systems
Primary Process The primary standards development process – follows the flow of standards arising from an agreed need, being developed via a robust process involving a formal and extended consultation/review period and is aligned to some degree with the Standards New Zealand process for standards development.
Process Actual work carried out.
Project Plan Plan for each standards project.
Proposer Person or User Group initiating the submission of a proposal for a standard to HISO.
Requirement The information standard component(s) that will address the problem, in part or in full.
RNZCGP Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners
ROI Register of Interest
SAI Standards Australia International
SNOMED CTSystematised Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms
SNZ Standards New Zealand
SSC State Services Commission
Standard An Output Type – a consensus based document that is developed by a balanced expert committee taking into consideration input received through public comment consultation. Standards are generally widely applied and have high status.
STATS NZ Statistics New Zealand
Status for Interim Decision Identifies level of readiness for endorsement by HISO as a national standard.
Technical Specification An Output Type – a document relating to a topic where there may not be full consensus across all stakeholders where the standard generally would be a dataset.
Transitional Standard Standard/version currently in use and available but not necessarily the desired standard and will be phased out / replaced.
XML Extensible Markup Language
XNAL Extensible Name and Address Language

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