Vocabulary Quality Assurance Project

Project to clarify expected practices and process for WG when using coded vocabulary

Overview

Project Insight 1196
TSC Tracker 8405

Scope

Define and communicate consistent set of QA requirements and describe processes that can be used to implement these requirements for decentralized development of terminology artifacts used across all HL7 product families, coupled with a centralized governance structure. These processes would be followed by all HL7 groups, I.E.: all HL7 standards that reference terminology. This project will not include implementation of the processes documented; the deliverable will be a process document to be implemented via a different project.

Need

It has become apparent that the terminology published in HL7 artifacts does not demonstrate the quality and consistency generally required for interoperability among modern HIT systems. In addition, HL7 internal consistency and harmonization has become increasingly difficult due to a lack of standardized quality processes applied to terminology artifacts across the different projects. This problem has resulted in excessive effort and resource use.

Project Risks

1. Difficulty in determining current actual terminology use practices that are critical to individual product family success so that improved proposed processes will not impair continued success
   1. Each product family and critical HL7 organizational components SHALL actively participate.
2. Significant terminology quality issues currently exist in existing HL7 standards. Different processes will be required to address existing issues. We expect that process to address existing quality issues will in part be derived from the outcome of this project, but cannot dictate our deliverable that is intended to be implemented in current and future HL7 activities.
   1. Track issues as they are identified, note that process for fixes for existing material will need to be defined later on. In essence, set determining the process for fixing the specific pre-existing issues aside. Spend our time working on a process to avoid future instances of the issue.

Project Processes

This project will use DropBox as a collaborative document sharing process during the formative draft development process. If you are interested in viewing the current draft please attend the meetings. If you are interested in participating in the editing and review of the drafts, please send a request to get access to the dropbox folder to Rob McClure ( rmcclure AT mdpartners.com ).

TQA Product Family or WG Participant List

Product Family, WG, or Project	Participant Name
Vocab	Rob McClure, Ted Klein
HTA	Heather Grain (Rob and Ted)
CIMI	Susan Matney (Stan Huff)
SD/CDA	Rob Hausam - Lisa Nelson
V2 / InM	Rob Snelick
V3	Ted K.
FHIR	Lloyd M.
Glossary Project	Heather Grain, Susan Barber, Lisa Nelson
Foundational terminology attributes - Harmonization and tooling? Is this the new project?	Ted Klein, xxx
Alignment on Publishing Terminology Artifacts	Susan M, Richard E.
Conformance WG project 1146 on "Consolidated conformance constructs" c-cubed	Project of CGIT - Rob S.

Requirements

Vocab QA Requirements

Conference Call Schedule and Minutes

Calls normally are on Mondays

Call is Monday 5p ET for 60min - USA is currently on DAYLIGHT TIME so ET is UTC-4

First meeting after Baltimore will be October 10

Call info: (770) 657-9270;598745#
Web Meeting Info:
Please click on the link below to join my Mikogo session

1. https://go.mikogo.com/?sp=&sid=661689818

If the above link does not work, you can follow these steps instead to join a session:

1. Go to http://go.mikogo.com
2. Enter the Session ID: 661-689-818
3. Enter your name
4. Click "Join Session"

Note that on occasion, the Mikogo will not be available. On those times, join.me shall be used for the screen sharing only: Call info: (770) 657-9270;598745#
Web Meeting Info:
Please click on the link below to join my join.me session

1. https://join.me/tedsnewsessions

Note that you may be requested to download and install a small plugin, depending upon your browser and OS.

If the link does not work, you can follow these steps instead to join a session:

1. Go to http://www.join.me
2. Click on the "Join Meeting" link in upper right of screen
3. Enter the code "tedsnewsessions" and click "JOIN"

For the call on September 12, 2016 we will use the join.me link for the shared screen as just described.

Agenda will be noted at the end of the minutes from the last call on the TQA Minutes page

Core Documents

1. Project Scope Statement HERE
2. Draft project goals HERE
3. HL7 Peer-review Process approach HERE
4. Harmonization checklist HERE
5. Glossary Tutorial HERE

Minutes documents

As of 2016-02-22 all minutes will be on TQA Minutes