Data Strategy Briefing — July 9, 2021
ONC published USCDI v2, expanding required data classes for certified health IT and pushing interoperability teams to capture sexual orientation, gender identity, and social determinants data elements.
Executive briefing: ONC released Version 2 of the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) on 9 July 2021, adding data elements covering sexual orientation, gender identity, health status, and social determinants of health. The expansion feeds directly into future certification, quality measurement, and exchange requirements under the 21st Century Cures Act ecosystem.
Key interoperability checkpoints
- Data capture. Update intake workflows and EHR templates to collect new USCDI v2 elements such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and health status assessments.
- Terminology alignment. Map new elements to standard vocabularies (LOINC, SNOMED CT, HL7 V2) to support structured exchange.
- Equity analytics. Incorporate the additional data classes into health equity and quality reporting dashboards to meet CMS and OCR expectations.
Operational priorities
- Certification planning. Coordinate with EHR vendors on timelines for integrating USCDI v2 requirements into certification updates.
- Policy revisions. Update privacy notices and consent management processes to reflect new sensitive data categories.
- Training. Provide staff education on culturally competent data collection and documentation standards.
Enablement moves
- Embed USCDI v2 milestones into interoperability governance scorecards and risk mitigation plans.
- Leverage ONC implementation guides and USCDI+ initiatives to align specialty-specific datasets.
Sources
- United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) v2
- ONC blog announcing USCDI Version 2 availability
Zeph Tech partners with provider and payer organisations to operationalise USCDI v2 through workflow redesign, terminology management, and analytics enablement.