United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI)

The United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) is a standardized set of health data classes and constituent data elements for nationwide, interoperable health information exchange. Review the USCDI Fact Sheet to learn more.

A USCDI Data Class is an aggregation of Data Elements by a common theme or use case.

A USCDI Data Element is a piece of data defined in USCDI for access, exchange or use of electronic health information.  

USCDI ONC New Data Element & Class (ONDEC) Submission System

USCDI V1

Please reference the USCDI version 1 document to the left for applicable standards versions associated with USCDI v1.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Health professional’s conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

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  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Desired state to be achieved by a patient.

Health related matter that is of interest, importance, or worry to someone who may be the patient, patient’s family or patient’s health care provider.

Record of vaccine administration.

Analysis of clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

Representing a patient’s smoking behavior.

USCDI V2

The USCDI v2 contains data classes and elements from USCDI v1 and new data classes and elements submitted through the ONDEC system. Please reference the USCDI Version 2 document to the left for applicable vocabulary standards versions associated with USCDI v2 and to the ONC Standards Bulletin 21-3 for more information about the process to develop USCDI v2 and future versions.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Health professional’s conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Non-imaging and non-laboratory tests performed that result in structured or unstructured findings specific to the patient to facilitate the diagnosis and management of conditions.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Information related to interactions between healthcare providers and a patient.

Desired state to be achieved by a patient.

Health related matter that is of interest, importance, or worry to someone who may be the patient, patient’s family or patient’s health care provider.

Record of vaccine administration.

Analysis of clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

Representing a patient’s smoking behavior.

USCDI V3

USCDI v3 contains data classes and elements from USCDI v2 and new data classes and elements submitted through the ONDEC system. Please reference the USCDI Version 3 document to the left for applicable vocabulary standards versions associated with USCDI v3 and to the ONC Standards Bulletin 22-2 for more information about the process to develop USCDI v3 and future versions.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Health professional’s conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Non-imaging and non-laboratory tests performed that result in structured or unstructured findings specific to the patient to facilitate the diagnosis and management of conditions.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Information related to interactions between healthcare providers and a patient.

Desired state to be achieved by a patient.

Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.

Record of vaccine administration.

Analysis of clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

USCDI V4

USCDI v4 added 20 data elements and one data class to USCDI v3. Please reference the USCDI v4 standard document and the ONC Standards Bulletin 23-2 for details. To review the prioritization criteria ONC used to select the USCDI v4 data elements, refer to the ONC Standards Bulletin 22-2.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Non-imaging and non-laboratory tests performed that result in structured or unstructured findings specific to the patient to facilitate the diagnosis and management of conditions.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Information related to interactions between healthcare providers and a patient.

Physical place of available services or resources.

Desired state to be achieved by a person or a person’s elections to guide care.

Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.

Record of vaccine administration.

An instrument, machine, appliance, implant, software or other article intended to be used for a medical purpose.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient, and recommendations for future treatment.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

USCDI V5

USCDI v5 was published on July 16, 2024, and includes 16 new data elements and two new data classes. Please read the USCDI v5 standard document and the ONC Standards Bulletin 24-2 for details.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Non-imaging and non-laboratory tests performed that result in structured or unstructured findings specific to the patient to facilitate the diagnosis and management of conditions.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Information related to interactions between healthcare providers and a patient.

Physical place of available services or resources.

Desired state to be achieved by a person or a person’s elections to guide care.

Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.

Record of vaccine administration.

An instrument, machine, appliance, implant, software or other article intended to be used for a medical purpose.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Findings or other clinical data collected about a patient during care.

Provider-authored request for the delivery of patient care services.

Conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient, and recommendations for future treatment.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

Draft USCDI V6

ASTP/ONC published Draft USCDI v6 on January 14, 2025, and proposes to add 6 new data elements. Please read the Draft USCDI v6 standard document and the ASTP Standards Bulletin 25-1 for details. ASTP/ONC is accepting comments here through May 12, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET.

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Non-imaging and non-laboratory tests performed that result in structured or unstructured findings specific to the patient to facilitate the diagnosis and management of conditions.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Information related to interactions between healthcare providers and a patient.

Physical place of available services or resources.

Desired state to be achieved by a person or a person’s elections to guide care.

Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.

Record of vaccine administration.

An instrument, machine, appliance, implant, software or other article intended to be used for a medical purpose.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Findings or other clinical data collected about a patient during care.

Conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient, and recommendations for future treatment.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

Level 2 data elements meet the following criteria:
  • Represented by a terminology standard or SDO-balloted technical specification or implementation guide.
  • Data element is captured, stored, or accessed in multiple production EHRs or other HIT modules from more than one developer.
  • Data element is electronically exchanged between more than two production EHRs or other HIT modules of different developers using available interoperability standards.
  • Use cases apply to most care settings or specialties.

Level 2

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Material substance originating from a biological entity intended to be transplanted or infused into another (possibly the same) biological entity.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Data related to an individual’s insurance coverage for health care.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Provider-authored request for the delivery of patient care services.

Data used to categorize individuals for identification, records matching, and other purposes.

Conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient, and recommendations for future treatment.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Activity performed for or on a patient as part of the provision of care.

Physiologic measurements of a patient that indicate the status of the body’s life sustaining functions.

Level 1 data elements meet the following criteria:
  • Represented by a terminology standard or SDO-balloted technical specification or implementation guide.
  • Data element is captured, stored, or accessed in at least one production EHR or HIT module.
  • Data element is electronically exchanged between two production EHRs or other HIT modules using available interoperability standards.
  • Use cases apply to several care settings or specialties.

Level 1

Material substance originating from a biological entity intended to be transplanted or infused into another (possibly the same) biological entity.

Narrative patient data relevant to the context identified by note types.

  •  
  • Usage note: Clinical Notes data elements are content exchange standard agnostic. They should not be interpreted or associated with the structured document templates that may share the same name. 

Physical place of available services or resources.

Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.

Analysis of clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient.

Pharmacologic agents used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

The metadata, or extra information about data, regarding who created the data and when it was created.

Physiologic measurements of a patient that indicate the status of the body’s life sustaining functions.

Level 0 data elements meet the following criteria:
  • Not represented by a terminology standard or SDO-balloted technical specification or implementation guide.
  • Data element is captured, stored, or accessed in limited settings such as a pilot or proof of concept demonstration.
  • Data element is electronically exchanged in limited environments, such as connectathons or pilots.
  • Use cases apply to a limited number of care settings or specialties, or data element represents a specialization of other, more general data elements.

Level 0

Harmful or undesired physiological responses associated with exposure to a substance.

Material substance originating from a biological entity intended to be transplanted or infused into another (possibly the same) biological entity.

Information about a person who participates or is expected to participate in the care of a patient.

Tests that result in visual images requiring interpretation by a credentialed professional.

Desired state to be achieved by a patient.

Desired state to be achieved by a person or a person’s elections to guide care.

Data related to an individual’s insurance coverage for health care.

Findings or other clinical data collected about a patient during care.

Conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient, and recommendations for future treatment.

Condition, diagnosis, or reason for seeking medical attention.

Physiologic measurements of a patient that indicate the status of the body’s life sustaining functions.

 

Previous USCDI Versions

The USCDI ONC New Data Element and Class (ONDEC) Submission System supports a predictable, transparent, and collaborative process, allowing health IT stakeholders to submit new data elements and classes for future versions of USCDI. Click here for more information and to submit new data elements.

The USCDI standard will follow the Standards Version Advancement Process described in the Cures rule to allow health IT developers to update their systems to newer version of USCDI and provide these updates to their customers.

Comment

Comment from 10 Organizations Committed to LGBTQI+ Equity

Please see attached comments on USCDI v5 from 10 organizations committed to LGBTQI+ equity.

USCDI v5 Comment_April152024 (1).pdf

The Allegheny Health Network Comments on Draft USCDI v5

On behalf of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN), please see the attached comments. 

AHN Comment Letter (USCDI) 4-15-24.pdf

USCDI v5 CMS Public Comment

On behalf of The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ), we submit the following comments on USCDI Draft version 5 (v5) for consideration. We recognize there are many needs and multiple perspectives that must be balanced by ONC and the USCDI Committee and thank ONC for the opportunity to contribute comments.
CMS continues to support the USCDI as the central mechanism in defining the foundational set of electronic health information for interoperable health exchange. This, in turn, defines what data patients have access to, and helps define what we are sharing across sites to support clinical care and best outcomes. CMS is committed to the digital transformation of its quality measurement programs. The USCDI, as well as the USCDI+, allows us to build on a foundational framework for this transition.  Attached are our formal comments on USCDI draft v5.

USCDI comment letter April 2024.pdf

AIRA Comments on USDCI Draft Version 5

Please see the attached comments on behalf of the members of the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA), made up of over 100 organizations representing Public Health Immunization Information Systems (IIS), IIS implementers and vendors, non-profit organizations and partners. Thank you for the opportunity to share our perspectives. 

USCDI V5 Comments from AIRA Membership Final 4-2024.pdf

LGBTQ Equity Organizations Comment on Draft USCDI V5

Ten organizations focused on LGBTQI+ equity write in response to the request for public comment from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on the Draft United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 5 (Draft USCDI v5).  

USCDI v5 Comment_April152024.pdf

USCDI v5

The Federation of American Hospitals appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on USCDI v5.  Please see attached comments.

Vulcan FHIR Community Response to the Draft USCDI Version 5

The following comments have been submitted on behalf of the Vulcan HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program.  Questions and clarifications can be obtained through contact at vulcan@hl7.org.

The following comments have been submitted on behalf of the Vulcan HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program’s Community Members. Vulcan is a member-driven HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program, focusing on the development of interoperability standards for clinical and translational research.  Vulcan brings over 40 organizations together to provide an open, transparent and non-biased community for standards development and implementation.

The current program includes the development of Implementation Guides / standards for:

  • Real Word Data (RWD): Extract data from EHRs in a standardized format to support clinical research and especially submission to Regulators
  • Schedule of Activities (SOA): Represent the schedule of activities in FHIR from a spreadsheet.  Enable the consistent description, timing and identification of each activity in a study
  • Phenotypic Data: To increase the availability of high-quality standardized phenotypic information for genomic research and genomic medicine
  • Electronic Product Information (ePI): Define a common structure for product information (monographs) that supports cross-border exchange of data for patients
  • Adverse Events (AE): Support standardizing the reporting and format of an adverse event.  Improve the maturity of the relevant FHIR resources
  • FHIR to OMOP: Support the development of FHIR to OMOP data transfer for better analysis of clinical data for research

Adverse Events (AE) is currently being balloted by HL7 and we expect these to be declared as STU (Standard for Trial Use) in the coming months.  Vulcan is also actively pursuing additional use cases / projects to support the research community in the coming months, as well as implementation of our STU standards through pilots, proof of concepts and real-world implementations.  Vulcan leverages HL7 Connectathons to validate the standards developed by our members.

We are happy to provide comments through this comment process and welcome the opportunity to work with ONC on USCDI to enhance support for clinical and translational support in HL7 FHIR.

ONC USCDI V5 - Vulcan Response - April 2024 - Final.pdf

Vulcan FHIR Community Response to the Draft USCDI Version 5

The following comments have been submitted on behalf of the Vulcan HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program.  Questions and clarifications can be obtained through contact at vulcan@hl7.org.

The following comments have been submitted on behalf of the Vulcan HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program’s Community Members. Vulcan is a member-driven HL7 FHIR Accelerator Program, focusing on the development of interoperability standards for clinical and translational research.  Vulcan brings over 40 organizations together to provide an open, transparent and non-biased community for standards development and implementation.

The current program includes the development of Implementation Guides / standards for:

  • Real Word Data (RWD): Extract data from EHRs in a standardized format to support clinical research and especially submission to Regulators
  • Schedule of Activities (SOA): Represent the schedule of activities in FHIR from a spreadsheet.  Enable the consistent description, timing and identification of each activity in a study
  • Phenotypic Data: To increase the availability of high-quality standardized phenotypic information for genomic research and genomic medicine
  • Electronic Product Information (ePI): Define a common structure for product information (monographs) that supports cross-border exchange of data for patients
  • Adverse Events (AE): Support standardizing the reporting and format of an adverse event.  Improve the maturity of the relevant FHIR resources
  • FHIR to OMOP: Support the development of FHIR to OMOP data transfer for better analysis of clinical data for research

Adverse Events (AE) is currently being balloted by HL7 and we expect these to be declared as STU (Standard for Trial Use) in the coming months.  Vulcan is also actively pursuing additional use cases / projects to support the research community in the coming months, as well as implementation of our STU standards through pilots, proof of concepts and real-world implementations.  Vulcan leverages HL7 Connectathons to validate the standards developed by our members.

We are happy to provide comments through this comment process and welcome the opportunity to work with ONC on USCDI to enhance support for clinical and translational support in HL7 FHIR.

ONC USCDI V5 - Vulcan Response - April 2024 - Final.pdf