Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing Domain (XDS Domain)

A Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing Domain (XDS Affinity Domain) is a concept used in healthcare. It defines a group of Providers that agree to share PHI using standard protocols and specifications.

The Affinity Domain is the community of Providers that have a common interest in sharing PHI within a region or network. These Providers typically collaborate to establish a common set of policies and procedures for PHI exchange.

One would expect the following components to be set up:

• Document Sources: the individual Providers that generate or store PHI.
• Document Repositories: The systems where the shared PHI is stored.
• Document Registry: Central index or catalog to find shared records.
• Patient Indentifier Cross-Reference Manager (PIX Manager): Associates the different Patient identifiers used by the Providers within the XDS Domain.
• Audit Trail and Node Authentication (ATNA): For audit-logging and security.

By establishing an XDS Affinity Domain Providers can streamline the exchange of PHI, improve care coordination, and enhance overall quality of healthcare services. It’s a crucial concept in achieving interoperability and securely sharing PHI across Providers within a specific region or network.