Overview

CCD, CDA, and CCDA are different types of clinical document standards used in electronic health record (EHR) software. The CCD provides valuable information for the next care provider whether that be a specialist, emergency room doctor, or even a new primary care provider. A brief overview of each type follows.

1. CCD (Continuity of Care Document) - CCD is an industry standard for exchanging patient health information between different EHR systems. It provides a summary of a patient's medical history, including allergies, medications, procedures, and test results. CCD documents are typically used for transitions of care, such as when a patient is discharged from the hospital and needs to share their medical information with their primary care physician.

2. CDA (Clinical Document Architecture) - CDA is an HL7 standard for structuring clinical documents in EHR systems. It defines the format and content of clinical documents, such as progress notes, discharge summaries, and imaging reports. CDA documents are typically created by healthcare providers and shared within an organization's EHR system.

3. CCDA (Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture) - CCDA is an extension of CDA that includes additional data elements and templates. CCDA documents can include more comprehensive information about a patient's health, including social history, family history, and immunizations. CCDA documents are typically used for exchanging health information between different healthcare organizations, such as when a patient receives care from multiple providers.

The current standard for information sharing is the CCDA, Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture. The CCDA contains both the framework for information sharing between electronic systems and the information being shared. CCDA is an extension of CDA that includes more comprehensive data elements and templates. 

Create a CCDA

A CCDA file can be created by navigating to the Patient Details > Additional Demographic Info (cont.) tab and selecting the the Create CCDA button located below the NPI: field.