The tools on this page include materials for educating stakeholders in the initial stages of adding clinical information. These tools were developed by the grantees to facilitate their data linkage projects. They provide guidance to those working to combine hospital discharge data with clinical content to enhance the value of administrative data and include guidance on the data acquisition and transmission processes, frequently asked questions, data specifications and formats, and implementation guides for new data reporting standards.

Lab Data Acquisition and Transmission (PDF file, 206 KB; HTML)

Presentation that provides overview of data transmission process and requirements. (Developed by the Minnesota grantee)

Potential Solutions to Lab Data Extraction (PDF file, 194 KB; HTML)

The process of extracting laboratory test information from an organization’s database can require considerable cooperation between IT personnel, healthcare leadership, and data analysts. This document carefully describes each data selection step and identifies potential difficulties and solutions to each. (Developed by the New York grantee)

Frequently Asked Questions for Coronary Procedures Project (PDF file, 296 KB; HTML)

Provides answers to questions asked by administrative staff tasked with carrying out new protocols. Preparing this type of document in advance of project initiation can help hospital leadership think through their plans and, distributed as a handout, can relieve common concerns of hospital staff. (Developed by the New York grantee)

Lab Data Requirements (PDF file, 203 KB; HTML)

Guides hospitals in understanding, formatting, and applying inclusion criteria for each data element to be reported. (Developed by the Minnesota grantee)

Contact Information for Submission of Clinical Laboratory Data (PDF file, 276 KB; HTML)

Form for recording specific staff responsible for listed laboratory data submission roles and responsibilities. (Developed by the New York grantee)

Instructions for Extracting and Submitting Lab Data (PDF file, 832 KB; HTML)

Overview of the data collection process and details of required data format. (Developed by the New York grantee)

Coronary Procedures Study: An Outline for Labs (PDF file, 575 KB; HTML)

Document that provides a quality assurance protocol for setting up data transmission. It identifies naming conventions, folder structures, file formatting options, and extraction and submission protocols. (Developed by the New York grantee)

Pharmacy Data Specifications and Formats (PDF file, 122 KB; HTML)

Detailed formatting guidelines for transmission of pharmacy data. (Developed by the Minnesota grantee)

HL7 Implementation Guide (PDF file, 830 KB; HTML)

Specifications for laboratory observation reporting using HL7. (Developed by the Hawaii grantee)

ASCII Implementation Guide (PDF file, 197 KB; HTML)

Specifications for laboratory observation reporting using ASCII file format. (Developed by the Hawaii grantee)

LOINC Overview and Instructions (PDF file, 102 KB; HTML)

Document that provides an instruction manual for specifying LOINC® mapping. The document includes a background description of LOINC, instructions for submission, frequently asked questions, and sample data in a LOINC Code Worksheet. (Developed by the Minnesota grantee)

LOINC Worksheet (XLS file, 50 KB; HTML)

Spreadsheet that lists common lab tests and asks the hospital to provide specimen type, units, normal range, etc. for each test. Instructions provided in LOINC Overview and Instructions. (Developed by the Minnesota grantee)

Additional Training Tools from the Laboratory Data Toolkit on Enhancing the Clinical Content of Administrative Data