Health Information Standards Organisation

HISO was established in June 2003 and continues today as kaitiaki for health information standards, paerewa pārongo hauora, in New Zealand.

HISO is a committee operated by Health NZ and reporting to the Health Data and Analytics Council of Health NZ and the Ministry of Health.

HISO’s purpose is to ensure that data and digital standards contribute to the unified, productive and equity-led health system described by the New Zealand Health Plan | Te Pae Waenga.

HISO oversees the selection, development and adoption of data and digital standards for the health sector.

Standards mahi includes tracking, evaluating, selecting and adapting international standards, and commissioning new standards, for national use. Successful adoption is achieved when the published standards are used productively in widely implemented solutions.

HISO is responsible for ensuring that standards are:

• co-designed with Hauora Māori groups and supportive of Māori data governance
• designed to improve health equity
• aligned internationally and based on best clinical practice evidence
• consistent with the national strategic and architectural direction
• introduced in consultation with the sector
• promoting collaboration and innovation
• published and proactively maintained
• supported by implementation guides and tools
• adopted widely and adding measurable value.

The strategic context is defined by:

• New Zealand Health Plan
• Hauora Māori Strategy — Ministry of Healthexternal link
• Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-2025 — Ministry of Healthexternal link
• ’Ala Mo’ui: Pathways to Pacific Health and Wellbeing 2014-2018 — Ministry of Healthexternal link
• Strategy for a Digital Public Service — Digital.govt.nzexternal link

In all data and digital standards mahi, HISO commits to the 5 Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles of:

1. Tino rangatiratanga
2. Equity
3. Active protection
4. Options
5. Partnership

These are set out by:

• Health Services and Outcomes Inquiry (Wai 2575) — The Waitangi Tribunalexternal link
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi framework — Ministry of Healthexternal link

HISO is a committee of up to 12 members, including the chair.

Members are chosen to represent a range of stakeholder interests to oversee our system of data and digital standards for health.

Committee positions are openly advertised and draw from organisations such as:

• Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
• Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
• Hauora Māori and Whānau Ora providers
• Primary and community health organisations
• National clinical networks and health professional organisations
• Pharmac — Te Pātaka Whaioranga
• Accident Compensation Corporation
• Digital Health Association, HL7 New Zealand and the health software industry
• Health consumer groups.

Members are expected to be influential in their respective organisations and communities and able to drive standards adoption.

Additional members may be co-opted to the committee as subject matter experts for a set purpose and term. These members are subject to the same rules and provisions as other members.

The Group Manager Data and Digital Standards at Health NZ chairs HISO as an ex officio member.

The chair may select another member as vice chair to help plan and run meetings.

Members are appointed and may be reappointed for terms of up to 2 years at a time.

All appointments and reappointments are made by the Group Manager Data and Digital Standards at Health NZ.

Nominations for positions on the committee are openly advertised when vacancies arise.

New appointees receive letters of appointment. Appointees are required to acknowledge their acceptance in writing, declaring any conflicts of interest and agreeing to meet their obligations under the terms of reference.

Members are always expected to exercise sound professional judgement and to act in good faith, impartially and with reasonable care to support the sector and the public interest.

At their discretion, the chair may remove a HISO member. The member will receive a letter stating the reason for the decision and the date of effect.

HISO members may resign their term at any time by writing to the chair.

HISO has bi-monthly meetings that are sometimes held in person but more often by videoconference. The chair may call additional meetings as necessary. Usual meeting protocols are followed.

A quorum is half the current membership including the chair. Meetings may continue without a quorum provided no decisions are sought.

HISO uses consensus decision making. The chair may call a simple majority vote on any unresolved issue.

Proceedings are documented, including the agenda, minutes and any papers presented. An executive summary of each meeting is produced to communicate key messages to stakeholders.

Attendance, conflicts of interest, action and decision registers are maintained.

The chair is responsible for inviting guests to attend and present to the committee. Observers may also attend with the chair’s approval.

HISO members are expected to act constructively and in good faith to resolve any dispute. The chair may bring in a mediator where a dispute cannot be resolved with best efforts.

No member is legally responsible or liable for any act or omission of Health NZ.

No member can be held legally responsible or liable by Health NZ for any act or omission of their own provided the member has acted responsibly as required by these terms of reference.

Members shall comply with Health NZ’s conflicts of interest rules and guidelines.

Members shall promptly declare to the chair any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest in relation to a matter under consideration. The chair determines whether any conflicted member can continue to participate in discussions or voting on matters relating to the declared conflict.

The chair may declare certain documents or matters confidential. Members should not disclose any information declared confidential, except as required by law. Members are expected to publicly support any consensus decision or refrain from commenting on it.

HISO forms working groups in partnership with subject matter experts to evaluate, develop and review standards and lead their implementation.

HISO’s chair approves working group terms of reference and membership and appoints the working group chair.

HISO uses open forums for engagement and consultation with the sector.

HISO maintains important relationships across government and with international organisations, in addition to its health sector links.

HISO engages with and seeks the views of key clinical, consumer and health provider service management stakeholder groups.

HISO partners with relevant stakeholder groups as co-stewards of standards.

Government system leads

• Government Chief Data Steward and Information Group
• Government Chief Digital Officer
• Standards New Zealand

Relationships with Australia

• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Australian Digital Health Agency
• Australian Digital Health Standards Advisory Group
• Sparked AU

International organisations

• Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP)
• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• HL7 International
• SNOMED International
• GS1 International
• Regenstrief Institute
• ISO/TC 215 Health informatics technical committee

HISO’s standards development and adoption priorities are tracked in a quarterly work plan.

Standards analysts at Health NZ provide the HISO secretariat function, do research, provide advice, draft standards, support and monitor adoption and maintain the work plan.

Health NZ has financial authority over HISO. HISO has no power of its own to direct the work of health and disability sector organisations, employ staff, enter contracts, make loans or commit expenditure.

Fees paid to committee and working group members are determined in accordance with the Cabinet Fees Framework for members appointed to bodies in which the Crown has an interest.

Guidance: Cabinet Fees Framework — Public Service Commissionexternal link

HISO is classified among ‘Group 4: All other committees and other bodies’, with these sizing attributes:

• Substantive expertise
• Industry level influence
• Constructive in addressing issues
• Moderate public interest

Fees payable to members per meeting are:

• a meeting attendance fee of $800 for any meeting of between 6 and 8 hours; for shorter meetings, a fee of $100 per hour
• a meeting preparation fee of $200
• a travel time fee of $300 for travel of more than 3 hours per day.

Fees are paid for preparation, attendance and travel in relation to scheduled committee and working group meetings. Fees are not paid to salaried public servants.

Fees are categorised as honoraria and as such are subject to withholding tax pursuant to Schedule 4 Part B of the Income Tax Act 2007 No 97.

Health NZ reimburses members for actual and reasonable expenses in attending HISO meetings. Accommodation and travel must be arranged by Health NZ. Members may submit a travel expense claim for costs such as parking.

Health NZ is responsible for preparing and publishing approved HISO standards and related documents.

Copyright over all HISO documents and other intellectual property is vested in the Crown, under Health NZ's stewardship.

HISO documents are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.