NAHDO’s Mission and History

Overview

The National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO) is the premier national membership association dedicated to improving healthcare through health data. As the sole convener bridging state and private data systems, NAHDO serves the directors and administrators of statewide hospital discharge data (HDD) programs, state all-payer claims databases (APCDs), and the key public and private partners that build and maintain these systems nationwide.

For over four decades, NAHDO has served as the national convening hub for health data leaders. NAHDO works with states to implement inpatient, ambulatory surgery, and emergency department reporting systems. Through the APCD Council, NAHDO assists states in collecting claims data from public and private payers and providing actionable information to researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. NAHDO also connects health data stakeholders through annual conferences, technical workshops, webinars, and forums.

NAHDO operates at the intersection of data value and protection, helping health data organizations establish policies that balance data availability and access with rigorous privacy and confidentiality protections. Through these efforts, NAHDO works to ensure the long-term operational sustainability of statewide databases and build analytical capacity across its member organizations.

How NAHDO and Its Members Lead

  • Information & Trends

    Provide timely access to the latest developments, emerging trends, and technical expertise in healthcare information.

  • Data Standardization

    Promote uniformity and standardization of healthcare data collection and dissemination among public, private, and voluntary data collectors and users.

  • Cross-Sector Collaboration

    Promote cooperation among public and private organizations that collect, analyze, and disseminate healthcare data and entities developing value-add tools.

  • Privacy & Data Security

    Promote the knowledge and understanding of privacy regulations and best practices that protect patient-identifiable data.

  • Public Domain Advocacy

    Advocate for the development of public domain health data organizations and the use of their data to address national, state, and local issues.

NAHDO History

NAHDO was created by Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) and the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project (IHPP) at George Washington University in the spring of 1986. At that time, NAHDO’s purpose was to support the activities of state-level agencies - state data organizations (SDOs) - mandated to collect, analyze, disseminate, and use hospital discharge data sets. In the summer of 1986, representatives from state data organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Tennessee met with WBGH and IHPP in Washington, DC, to launch NAHDO. Two years later, in April 1988, NAHDO became a private, not-for-profit, national educational and charitable membership organization (501-C-3).

In 1989, the NAHDO Board of Directors broadened the membership qualifications to include organizations and individuals from the private for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Today, NAHDO’s membership includes SDOs, federal agencies, peer review organizations, software and hardware vendors, consulting groups, and universities, as well as representatives from state and regional hospital associations, managed care organizations, health services research organizations, and the media, among others.

NAHDO is the only organization of its kind, bringing together members of the public and private sectors of the health information industry. As with any successful organization, NAHDO’s success is linked inexorably to its members and their involvement in the association, their belief in the importance of NAHDO, and their commitment to helping NAHDO meet its mission.

For more information, please contact NAHDO at info@nahdo.org