Standardization Proposal for the Transmission of Waiting List Data in Italy

Each Italian region is required to manage and disclose data relating to waiting times for healthcare services which are provided by both public and private hospitals and local health units accredited to the Sistema Sanitario Nazionale (SSN - in English, National Healthcare System). The current law governing data relating to waiting times and their sharing is the Piano Nazionale di Governo delle Liste di Attesa (PNGLA - in English National Government Plan for Waiting Lists). However, this plan does not propose a standard to monitor such data, but only provides a few guidelines that the Italian regions are required to follow. The lack of a specific technical standard for managing sharing of waiting list data and the lack of precise and binding information in the PNGLA make the management and transmission of such data problematic, reducing the interoperability necessary to have an effective and efficient monitoring of the phenomenon. The proposal for a new standard for the transmission of waiting list data derives from these shortcomings. This proposed standard promotes greater interoperability, is easy to create with an implementation guide, and has sufficient degrees of freedom to assist the document author.