The design of codes and formats for information storage must be guided by the requirements of the processes in which the stored information is to be used. In the case of medical data, a code must be designed to facilitate several different processes, including case management, administration, evaluation and research. Design of such a system can be…

Continuing technological advances in computers and communications make possible the integration of data systems and the exchange of data among them on an expanding scale. However, the full effect of these advances cannot be realized unless the need for uniform understanding of the common information (data elements) and their expression in data…