Does The Standard Reference Or Assume Other Standards To Achieve More Specificity?
The HL7 standard does not reference or assume other standards to achieve more specificity. HL7 is, in general, more granular than other standards. It allows the use of standard code sets as needed by implementors via the HL7 CE data type. Assumed Code Sets. Current HL7 assumes code sets for a small number of single ‘data elements.’ These are termed ‘HL7 tables,’ and are so marked and so defined within the current specification. For other data elements, HL7 allows the use of either ‘site-defined’ (e.g., HL7 IS data type) or ‘standard (external) code sets’ (e.g., using the CE coded element data type). HL7 has hundreds of users who are using the HL7 tables. Sources Of Code Sets. HL7 tables are defined within the HL7 standard. User defined tables are defined at implementation time. Standard (external) tables (e.g. SNOMED, ICD9, CPT) are defined externally by their source-creating institutions, and may be obtained from their usual suppliers. Available Assistance On The Use Of Code Sets. It
