C-CDA
Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture, an XML-based standard for structured clinical documents like continuity of care documents and discharge summaries.
C-CDA is built on HL7 CDA R2 and defines templates for common document types: CCD (Continuity of Care Document), discharge summaries, referral notes, and progress notes. Each document contains sections (problems, medications, allergies, etc.) with coded entries. C-CDA is required for Meaningful Use / Promoting Interoperability certification. It is the primary format for health information exchange via Direct messaging and HIE networks.
FAQ
- What is the difference between C-CDA and FHIR?
- C-CDA is document-oriented: a single XML file containing multiple sections. FHIR is resource-oriented: discrete resources accessed via REST APIs. C-CDA is used for document exchange; FHIR is used for granular data access.