A nonprofit, privately funded organization whose mission is the development of U.S. national standards on a voluntary basis. Standards are developed in a variety of fields, including health care, occupational safety, medical devices and medical informatics, and are referred to as American National Standards. Since members who agree on these standards are typically the major players in the area involving the standards, being officially approved by ANSI gives any standard the virtual effect of law. ANSI also represents the U.S. to non-treaty international standards organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), for which it was a charter member. Founded in 1918, ANSI has a diverse membership consisting of private companies, professional, labor, and consumer organizations, as well as government agencies. ANSI has several components specifically concerned with health care, including ANSI IISP (Information Infrastructure Standards Panel), ANSI HISB (Health Information Standards Board), and ANSI HISSP.