The US Core Profiles were initially designed to meet the 2015 Edition certification criterion for Patient Selection 170.315(g)(7) and Application Access – Data Category Request 170.315(g)(8). US Core Editors have updated the guide annually to meet subsequent U.S. Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) requirements. ONC’s USCDI and FHIR US Core are complementary initiatives, with USCDI defining high-level data requirements and FHIR US Core providing detailed FHIR-based profiles for meeting those requirements. Mapping between them is necessary for achieving interoperability and consistency in healthcare data exchange within the United States. However, to make USCDI implementable in FHIR, an interpretation of USCDI is necessary. For information about what US Core Profile elements and US Core transactions are in scope for ONC Health IT Certification, see the US Core Conformance pages.

Note that:

• USCDI Data Classes and Element names may not be the same as the FHIR US Core resource names and element names.
• Not every USCDI Data Class and Element is mapped to a single profile.
• Many US Core Profile elements do not map to a USCDI Data Classes and Element because US Core’s usage is broader than certification and because additional US Core elements are required to make FHIR implementable.

Updates to US Core depend upon community input and we encourage our audience to submit questions and feedback to US Core specifications by clicking on the Propose a change link in the footer of every page. In addition, we encourage our audience to request any necessary clarifications to USCDI through the USCDI ONDEC process that helps inform future updates to FHIR US Core.

The table below defines the relationship between the USCDI Data Classes and Elements and USCore profiles. It lists the US Core Profile used for the corresponding Data Classes and/or Elements. This information and FHIRPath expressions to USCDI Data Classes and Elements is available as a csv or excel file: