The Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC) is a coalition of organizations committed to the promotion of data standards for public health and health services research through the collaboration of local, state, federal, and private sector agencies and organizations. The PHDSC is interested in exploring the educational needs of public health data users related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other data standards issues. Standards are the fundamental building blocks of effective health information systems and are essential for efficient and effective public health and health care delivery systems. Health data standards or uniform data formats are critical to support the flow of information throughout public health programs and health data systems.

PHDSC home page

We need your input to develop a web site to meet the needs of the public health and health services research communities. Have you attempted to obtain information via the Internet on health data standards issues to no avail? Let us help you get to the information you need. Please complete our brief survey to guide our efforts. Note: Other staff at your organization may receive a request to complete the same survey. Obtaining differing points of view will make it easier for us to address broad-based needs.

Basic Survey Completion Instructions: Please enter information directly within template windows, keeping responses at one to three sentences for open-ended questions (255 character limit). Multiple choice questions can be answered by clicking in the appropriate radio buttons or check-boxes. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability. If you are unable to answer a question, please ask for assistance from a knowledgeable person or leave it blank. Please e-mail your questions, comments, or report survey functionality problems to Tom Doremus at tdoremus@phf.org.

Statement of confidentiality: No agencies/organizations will be identified in any published reports or papers of any nature.

This Survey Closed January 31, 2002.

Participant Profile

1. Agency/Organization Name:

2. Click on the most appropriate agency/organization type:

Academic Institution
Association
Federal Agency
For-Profit Organization
Local Health Department
State Health Department
Other (please specify)
 

If you clicked "Other" above, specify the agency/organization type:

3. Choose the stakeholder definition that best identifies your responsibilities:

Decision-maker (senior level officials deciding about public health program initiatives and funding issues).
Funder (state legislatures, government agencies, or foundations)
Collector of public health data (public health agency staff or health services researchers, licensing/certification directors, registrars, epidemiologists, statisticians, etc.)
User of public health data (public health staff or health services researchers, private organizations, or consumers)
Supplier of public health data (organizations reporting data to public health entities; labs, hospitals, physicians and other health care providers, payors, funeral directors, etc.)
Other (please specify)
 

If you entered "Other" above, specify the type of stakeholder:

Familiarity with Health Data Standards

4. Are you familiar with the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA AS)?

Not at all
Somewhat
Very familiar
 

5. Are you familiar with the basic processes of health data standards development at the national level?

Not at all
Somewhat
Very familiar
 

6. Have you personally participated in health data standards development at the local level?

Not at all
Some
Often

 

7. Have you personally participated in health data standards development at the state level?

Not at all
Some
Often
 

8. Have you personally participated in health data standards development at the national level?

Not at all
Some
Often
 

9. Is there a process in place for developing health data standards at your agency/organization?

Yes
No, but planned
No
 

10. Is there a process in place for adopting health data standards at your agency/organization?

Yes
No, but planned
No
 

11. Does your agency/organization share data with health care providers?

Yes
No
 

12. If the answer to the last question is yes, please click on all of the following agencies/organizations that your agency/organization shares with:

home health
hospital (emergency departments)
hospital (inpatient)
hospital (outpatient)
nursing homes
veterinary clinics/hospitals
Other (please specify)
 

If you clicked on "Other" above, specify the type of provider:

13. If you rely on any health care providers for early warning/emerging health threat information, please list the type of agencies/organizations and department(s) if appropriate:

14. Does your agency/organization share health data with the private sector?

Yes
No
 

15. If the answer to the last question is yes, please list the types of agencies/organizations and department(s), if appropriate. Place an asterisk in front of organizations that your agency/organization also relies on for early warning/emerging health threat information (e.g., *insurance companies).

16. Does your agency/organization share health data with the public sector?

Yes
No
 

17. If the answer to the last question is yes, please list the types of agencies/organizations and department(s), if appropriate. Place an asterisk in front of agencies/organizations that your agency/organization also relies on for early warning/emerging health threat information (e.g., *State EMS agency):

18. What are (is) the major health data transactions(s) data exchanges your agency/organization is concerned with? (click all that apply)

Encounter
Laboratory
Notifiable Diseases
Other (specify)
 

If you clicked on "Other" above, please specify the transaction(s):

19. What health data code sets are used by your agency/organization? (choose all that apply)

ICD-9-CM for diagnoses
ICD-9-CM, Vol. 3 for procedures
ICD-10 for cause-of-death data
CPT-4
HCPCS
SNOMED
NDC
Other (please specify)
 

If you clicked on "Other" above, specify the code set(s):

20. Which of the following message format standards does your agency/organization use? (choose all that apply)

X-12
Health Level Seven (HL-7)
NCPDP
 

21. Are you aware of where to locate national health data standards of interest to you?

Yes
Somewhat
No
 

22. What do you consider to be the primary barrier to implementing health data standards in your agency/organization?

Belief that public health is exempt
Do not have CEO/Top Executive buy-in
Complexity of clinical data
Data integrity issues
Disbelief in value of standards
Economic issues
Paper records are primary method
Political complications
Privacy issues
Security issues
Technical issues
Time requirements
Training obstacles
Variable capacity or readiness of data users/systems internally
Variable capacity or readiness of data users/systems externally
 

23. Does your agency/organization provide health data standards training to staff?

Yes
No
 

24. Which of the following barriers do you believe prevent health data staff at your agency/organization from obtaining up-to-date health data standards training? (choose all that apply)

Available training is not relevant
Lack of awareness of relevant training
Differing staff capabilities
Economic issues
Lack of training facilities
Lack of high-speed Web access
Resistance by staff
Scheduling/time issues
Other (please specify)
 

If you clicked on "Other" above, specify barriers:

25. What types of web-based training do you think would be most helpful to health data staff in your agency/organization?

General training (overview of health data standards)
Specific training (focused on specific standards)
Both
 

26. What training format do you believe would be most useful to health data staff at your agency/organization?

Computer-based training (off-line self-paced)
Computer-based training (on-line self-paced tutorial)
Computer-based training (on-line instructor led)
Conference/meeting
Satellite-based conference
Traditional classroom
Video-taped lessons
Web-based conference (live or archived)
 

27. Approximately how many health data staff (full-time and full-time equivalents) work at your agency? (Note: Two persons working twenty hours each weekly equals one full-time equivalent)

Web-based Training Capacity

Please ask a person knowledgeable about your computer capacities for this section.

28. What percentage of staff in your health data office have access to a computer or audio/visual equipment with:

less than a 56K modem?

a 56K modem?

ability to receive Webcasts (streaming video)?

ability to view satellite transmissions?</>

access to PowerPoint?</>

ability to listen to sound transmissions over web?

29. Please expand on any of your replies to the survey questions and identify the respective question(s) and/or make any statements you deem appropriate about health data standards. You may also e-mail comments to Tom Doremus at tdoremus@phf.org.

Thank you for participating - your contributions matter!