There is great interest in producing dairy cows that are healthy and remain in the herd longer. Direct and indirect costs associated with disease represent a significant expense to producers, and selection for improved health may reduce these costs significantly. Genetic response to selection for improved health based upon breeding values from genetic evaluations of field-recorded traits has been well-documented. That genetic variation is not currently being directly utilized for genetic improvement. Standardized health event codes and a data exchange format (Format 6) for the collection of data from on-farm record-keeping systems are necessary for the creation of a national database for health data.