National standards developed and approved by organizations accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Nonprofit accredited organization founded in 1979 that approves all national standards. It formed the Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12), which is responsible for establishing electronic communication standards for banking, insurance, and health care. It handles health care–related standards including claims and remittance mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. ANSI accredits other standards-setting committees and oversees their compliance with an open rule-making process that they follow to qualify for ANSI accreditation.

Professional organization representing registered nurses (RNs) through 54 constituent member associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

Member association founded in 1897 that represents osteopathic physicians (DOs). AOA serves as the primary certifying body for DOs and is the accrediting agency for all osteopathic medical colleges and health care facilities. AOA’s mission is to advance the philosophy and practice of osteopathic medicine by promoting excellence in education, research, and the delivery of quality, cost-effective health care within a distinct, unified profession. AOA stands firmly behind osteopathic physicians’ ethical and professional responsibilities to patients and the medical profession.

International professional organization of psychiatrists and related medical specialists that renders services for people with mental disease, mental retardation, and substance-related disorders.

Professional organization for advancement of psychology as a science and profession and promotes health, education, and human welfare.

National standards group that formed the ASTM Committee E31 on Health Care Informatics. It published general guidelines for development of standards for health care identifiers.

National association of anesthesiologists that maintains and publishes guidelines for coding anesthesia services.

Common computer coding system used for data communications that uses 128 numbers for a set of letters and characters, leaving 128 numbers as extras in an eight-bit byte. Programmers use the extra characters to create graphic characters, applicable to specific computers. The abbreviation is commonly pronounced “AS-key.”