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.

  •  
  • 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

Please read the USCDI v3 standard document and the ONC Standards Bulletin 22-2 for details. Consistent with EO 14168 and OPM guidance, ASTP/ONC is exercising enforcement and issuing certification guidance for the ONC Health IT Certification Program with respect to certain data elements in USCDI v3. For more information see https://www.healthit.gov/topic/uscdi-v3-data-elements-enforcement-discretion.

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 V3.1

Please read the USCDI v3.1 standard document and the ONC Standards Bulletin 22-2 for details. USCDI version 3.1 updates USCDI version 3 with the following changes: consistent with Executive Order 14168, the Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity data elements have been removed or updated in the Patient Demographics/Information Data Class.

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.

Information that guides 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.

 Usage notes: Orders convey a provider’s intent to have a service performed on or for a patient, or to give instructions on future care.

Information that guides 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 V6

ASTP/ONC published USCDI v6 on July 24, 2025, which includes 6 new data elements. Please read the USCDI v6 Standard Document and the ASTP/ONC Standards Bulletin 25-2 for details. ASTP/ONC welcomes input on future versions during the USCDI feedback period, open through September 29, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. During this time, ASTP/ONC is accepting new data element submissions through ONDEC, and comments on existing data elements may be entered via the updated commenting feature on the USCDI data element pages.

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

Information that guides treatment of the patient and recommendations for future treatment.

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.

Family member health condition(s) that are relevant to a patient's 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.

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

 Usage notes: Orders convey a provider’s intent to have a service performed on or for a patient, or to give instructions on future care.

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.

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.

 Usage notes: Orders convey a provider’s intent to have a service performed on or for a patient, or to give instructions on future care.

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

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.

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

 Usage notes: Orders convey a provider’s intent to have a service performed on or for a patient, or to give instructions on future care.

Information that guides 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.

 

All 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

Care Planning

The representation of the “Assessment and Plan of Treatment” domain is problematic.

The title, Assessment and Plan of Treatment, seems to follow the SOAP pattern, including both holistic clinical judgment (findings, diagnoses) and planned activities (interventions, referrals, monitoring).

The descriptive text, however, specifies only the assessment (A): “This section represents the clinician’s conclusions and working assumptions that will guide treatment of the patient.”

That text is taken from the CDA template “Assessment and Plan”, which, conversely, contains only planned acts (P).

In the API paradigm (as well as the Care Plan CDA document), the plan may contain, in addition to findings and planned activities, specified problems, goals for addressing those problems, associations between those goals and planned activities, and evaluations of progress toward those goals. Any of these components may either be documented in the planning process or documented previously or externally and then included in the plan.

We recommend that the Class be “Care Planning,” and that the elements include findings, goals, planned interventions, and assessments. Assessments can consist of questionnaires, clinical instruments, and findings represented as Observations, Conditions, Diagnostic Reports, Imaging studies, Clinical Impressions, etc.  All of these objects should be represented as independent classes, not dependent parts of a statically defined Plan. The only elements that depend on the Plan itself are items related to plan negotiation & authorization.

It’s not clear what is implied by representing one specific assessment domain (SDoH), to the exclusion of numerous others. One thing this does is blur the line between the two denotations of “assessment”: a specific assessment instrument that may belong in the Health Status area vs. a clinical assessment as part of the SOAP process.

Proposal

Care Planning

Assessing and characterizing concerns, establishing goals, planning and coordinating interventions, and assessing progress for a given problem, system, care context, or other area of interest.

  • Concerns in Plan
  • Assessments of Concerns in Plan
  • Goals in Plan
  • Planned Interventions
  • Assessments of Goal Progress & Intervention Effectiveness
  • Plan negotiation and reconciliation

 

Comment on USCDI v3

See attached recommendations from the Association of Public Health Laboratories

APHL_USCDI_V3_Comments_20220429.pdf

Regenstrief USCDI V3 Comment Summary

This field is for general comments on the USCDI. To submit new USCDI data classes and/or data elements, please use the USCDI ONDEC system: https://healthit.gov/ONDEC

USCDI RI summary 04292022.pdf

Vizient comments

Please see attached for Vizient's comments regarding draft USCDI v3.

USCDI Comments - FINAL.pdf

Phreesia comments on USCDI v3

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the USCDI Draft v3. Please see Phreesia's comment letter attached.

Phreesia Comments on ONC USCDI v3_vF.pdf

KP comments on USCDI Draft Version 3

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the USCDI Draft Version 3. Please see Kaiser Permanente's full comment letter attached. Thank you.

KP Commments USCDI FINAL 4.22 _0.pdf

USCDI v3 comments from the American Medical Association

On behalf of the American Medical Association (AMA), I am pleased to offer comments on the USCDI Version 3.

USCDIv3_comments_AMA.pdf

Epic's Comments on the Draft USCDI v3

Please see the attached document with Epic's feedback on the Draft USCDI v3. Thank you for your consideration.

Comments on Draft USCDI v3 - Epic.pdf

Add a New Comment

Review comment and Submit

Edit
Comment #1