Coding standards soon for healthcare security

China will speed up the testing of information service coding for healthcare security, with 15 coding standards expected to be gradually put into use next year.

According to Shi Zihai, deputy head of the National Healthcare Security Administration, the coding standard is like the "mandarin", or common language, of data coding.

As the basic language for exchanges of data between different systems, coding standards are crucial for improving China's healthcare security governance, Shi said at a training class held by the ministry on Oct 21 in Beijing.

China has established a healthcare network that covers more than 1.3 billion people, but the lack of coding standards has hindered the recognition and sharing of business data among different regions and departments.

According to Shi, the application of nationwide or region-level big data analysis will provide support for making policies in several areas, including the bidding for and purchasing of drugs and medical equipment.