What is NIEM?
NIEM is a national program supported by the federal government to increase information sharing
between organizations who share a common need to exchange information to advance their missions.
NIEM includes a data model from which organizations can establish information sharing specifications.
What NIEM is…
• NIEM is a collaborative partnership among key
governmental agencies, operational
practitioners, technologists, systems
developers, solution providers, standards
bodies, and other stakeholders
• NIEM offers a common vocabulary and an
online repository of information exchange
package documentations (IEPDs) to support
information sharing
• NIEM enables enterprise-wide information
sharing with the tools, governance, and
documentation to support the implementation
• NIEM is flexible and exchanges are reusable
• NIEM works with existing standards
What NIEM is NOT…
• NIEM is not a standard
NIEM enables the creation of standards
• NIEM is not a database nor a data warehouse
NIEM is a reusable library of data definitions
supported by tools, training, technical assistance, and
a vibrant community. It does not store data.
• NIEM is not the actual exchange of information
NIEM describes the data that is in motion in the
exchange
• NIEM is not a Software
It is a model for exchanging information between
disparate systems without being intrusive to those
systems
• NIEM participation does not mean the loss of data
ownership
All NIEM participants retain ownership of their data
Source: https://www.niem.gov/about/what-is-niem/Pages/what-is-niem.aspx
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Why NIEM?
NIEM is designed to develop, disseminate, and support information exchange standards and
processes that can enable organizations to effectively share information resulting in
Interoperability, Reusability and Standardization of data exchange. NIEM adoption leads to
cost avoidance, enhanced mission capabilities and low total cost of ownership.
Interoperability
Reusability
Standardization
NIEM establishes
interoperability through the
use of
The reuse of Information
Exchange Package
Documentations (IEPDs),
within NIEM will
The formalization of NIEM as
standardized model enables
Common Language and
Vocabulary
Decrease Development Time
and
and
Structured Approach
and
Community of Support
Increase Consistency
Agnostic Implementation
Source: NIEM PMO Presentation “Establishing a Domain within NIEM”
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Why NIEM Health?
The intention to establish the NIEM Health Domain is to support information sharing and
promote Interoperability, Reusability and Standardation of health data exchanges between
healthcare organizations including Federal, state and local agencies
NIEM Health Value Proposition
• Interoperability
– Enable interoperability of health data across the
health industry to support HHS’s objective of
reaping the full economic benefit of exchanging
healthcare information
• Reusability
– Support the Health Community and the NIEM
community by making data exchanges
discoverable, understandable, accessible, and
reusable across public and private partners and
stakeholders.
– Reuse existing standards where possible – drawing
from existing health data standards from
organizations such as HL7, IHE, ISO, X12, etc.
• Standardization
– Provide unambiguous and consistent descriptions
of universal healthcare exchange language that
helps the healthcare stakeholders and addresses
PCAST recommendation
Source: “NIEM Health Domain Charter”
NIEM Health Potential Benefits
• Cost Reduction
Reduces the cost of information sharing for healthcare
by reusing the data model and the IEPD’s
• Value Expansion
Expands the NIEM core data model by harmonizing
them with the health care data model
• Promote Information Sharing
Promote the use of NIEM Health Domain data model
and IEPD’s for health information sharing between
Federal, state, local, and private information exchange
partners
• Governance Establishment
Manage and govern the NIEM Health Domain data
model and IEPD’s
• Repeatable Best Practices
Collaborate with NIEM PMO and ensure that the NIEM
Health Domain is following the NIEM best practices
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and conforming to NIEM requirements