Overview
ISO 20301:2014 - "Health informatics - Health cards - General characteristics" defines the general characteristics of machine-readable health cards (ID‑1 format) intended for cross‑border healthcare services. The standard establishes how to present visual data on cards and how cards should interoperate with existing physical and recording‑technique standards so that both the healthcare application provider and the healthcare cardholder can be identified and contacted when exchanging healthcare information internationally.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Card format and scope
- Targets ID‑1 type cards (ISO/IEC 7810) used across two or more countries/areas (cross‑border service areas).
- Physical characteristics
- Card physical requirements follow the relevant ISO/IEC standards for recording techniques (e.g., ISO/IEC 7811, 7816, 11693, 14443).
- Visually readable data (purpose & items)
- Two main purposes: (1) identify the application provider and cardholder; (2) provide contact information for issuer/cardholder within the service area.
- Specified visually readable items include:
- Application provider identifier (can use PAN/IIN conventions per ISO/IEC 7812-1 or ISO 20302)
- Healthcare cardholder identifier (name or identifier; can combine with PAN)
- Application name (title of the healthcare service)
- Information for contacting the card issuer
- Country/area of the card issuer
- Visual items must be in one or more languages understandable within the service area and be placed according to the standard (e.g., provider and cardholder identifiers on same side).
- Recording techniques
- Supports magnetic stripes, contact ICs, contactless ICs, optical memory and other applicable techniques - the standard refers to existing recording‑technique standards and does not replace them.
- Field identifiers & test methods
- Field identifiers (labels/icons) to clarify visual data; annexes provide examples.
- Test methods are referenced (ISO/IEC 10373 and related standards).
- Security
- Security requirements are defined by each healthcare card system (ISO 20301 does not prescribe specific security mechanisms).
Applications and who uses it
- Primary users: card issuers, healthcare application providers (hospitals, clinics, health funding agencies), national health authorities.
- Secondary users: card manufacturers, readers/integration vendors, standards and compliance teams.
- Practical uses: designing interoperable health cards for patient identification, enabling cross‑border healthcare access, printing consistent visual data for clinicians and administrators, and ensuring compatibility with machine‑readable technologies.
Related standards (key references)
Keywords: ISO 20301:2014, health informatics, health cards, machine‑readable cards, ID‑1, ISO/IEC 7810, visually readable data, healthcare cardholder identifier, card issuer.