THE CASE FOR NATIONAL-HEALTH DATA STANDARDS - STATE DATA SYSTEMS ILLUSTRATE HOW FAR WEVE COME AND THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL-HEALTH DATA STANDARDS

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA ) contains groundbreaking provisions to encourage the development of a national health information system through the establishment of stand ards, This paper compares statewide inpatient data systems to one stan dard-the Uniform Bill (UB)-to understand how standards have been used and how they can be improved, We recommend changes to the UB, note the need for better compliance, and suggest new standards for common, der ived elements.