Conversion, Compliance and Continuity

Over time, HDD Access could reduce substantially the disruption associated with implementing new standards nationwide. HDD implements updates to the standard terminologies as changes are released, so organizations using it always have the latest versions. For major changes, such as the implementation of ICD-10 and the conversion from Version 4010 to Version 5010 for healthcare claims, the system’s mapping function associates the older terminology sets with the new standards, minimizing the disconnects often created by such undertakings.

By working with 3M to open access to HDD, the VA and DoD have taken the lead in propelling interoperability, just as they have for electronic health records (EHRs). In addition, the agreement with 3M will help other healthcare organizations achieve meaningful-use standards more quickly, said Lindekugel. Currently, the meaningful-use standards established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require organizations to adopt at least six sets of standard terminologies to meet the objectives in demographics, problem list, clinical summaries, personal health information and laboratory test results. HDD Access integrates those multiple standards and links local or legacy terminology to meaningful-use measures through value sets or named lists of codes.

Organizations can download the most current version of the HDD from the website and install it locally. Users also can request additions to the dictionary, such as local terminology, which 3M’s team will evaluate for inclusion. As a result of ongoing user input and new standardized terminology, Lindekugel envisions the HDD as a constantly evolving information repository that keeps healthcare organizations compliant and makes healthcare data increasingly interoperable.

“We believe it will deliver benefits and stimulate innovation across the entire healthcare industry, not just for public and commercial providers, but for payers and vendors, too,” said Lindekugel. ”The 3M HDD will make it possible for facilities and providers to share medical knowledge, protocols and secure patient data. We see it driving improvements in care quality and public-health reporting.”

The public version of 3M HDD will be available for free at www.hddaccess.com in the next few months. HDD Access will initially run on Oracle platforms, but an installer for an open source database management system will be released later this year. 3M plans to release additional database installers for other systems at least annually.

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