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LOINC Overview
FAQ overview
- What is LOINC?
- What is RELMA?
- How are LOINC and RELMA distributed? How often are updates to LOINC and RELMA released?
- Are there any training or workshops on the use of LOINC codes and RELMA?
- In what languages are LOINC, RELMA, and the associated users' guides available?
- Who is using / mapped to LOINC?
- Are there any professional organizations that certify personnel to perform LOINC mapping?
- How do I obtain a license for my organization to adopt LOINC codes?
- Are there any articles or publications regarding LOINC?
- Case Sensitivity
- What kind of hierarchy does LOINC have?
What is LOINC?
LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) was developed to provide a definitive standard for identifying clinical information in electronic reports. The LOINC database provides a set of universal names and ID codes for identifying laboratory and clinical test results in the context of existing HL7, ASTM E1238, and CEN TC251 observation report messages. One of the main goals of LOINC is to facilitate the exchange and pooling of results for clinical care, outcomes management, and research. LOINC codes are intended to identify the test result or clinical observation. Other fields in the message can transmit the identity of the source laboratory and special details about the sample.What is RELMA?
RELMA (Regenstrief LOINC Mapping Assistant program) helps users map their local terms or lab tests to universal LOINC codes. RELMA contains many tools that will help you search for the correct LOINC codes to map to your tests.
How are LOINC and RELMA distributed? How often are updates to LOINC and RELMA released?
LOINC is available as an Microsoft Access (.mdb) database file and a tab-delimited text file (.txt). RELMA is available as a Windows-based mapping utility. The RELMA package includes the LOINC table. There are two main routes of distribution for LOINC and RELMA. Currently, updates to RELMA and LOINC are released twice a year, in June and December.
Are there any training or workshops on the use of LOINC codes and RELMA?
Yes, there are workshops in June and December. You may register for the next set of workshops at Meetings. Until you are able to attend a workshop, on-line training materials can be found at Slideshows.
In what languages are LOINC, RELMA, and the associated users' guides available?
Laboratory LOINC code translations are available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. German, French and Italian versions are available for the 3800 most commonly used European terms. The current French translation is from Switzerland and includes short names only. The LOINC database permits more than one version of any given language. We welcome translations and ask for a signed agreement that you will abide by the copyright rules, but we will not inhibit your use nor charge any fees for use of the material. We ask that you provide a link to our website along with your translation.
Visit the International section of this website for more information.
Who is using / mapped to LOINC?
LOINC and RELMA are widely used, in part because they have always been freely available. We do not have a definitive list of adopters, but we have created an online adopter directory and welcome information regarding new users and their use cases.
If your organization has adopted LOINC, you can have your profile listed here on the LOINC website by completing the profile form here.
(Requires a login to this site. If you don't have a login, create one here)
Some LOINC users include:
- All hospitals associated with Regenstrief's Indiana Network for Patient Care
- Intermountain Health Care
- VA Hospital System
- Partners (Boston)
- ARUP (sends messages with LOINC codes)
- LabCorp (sends reportable lab results as LOINC codes)
- Quest (mapped for internal purposes)
- Many public health departments - including CDC
- electronic Child Health Network (eCHN)
- 5 pediatric care systems in Ontario, Canada (with plans to expand to all Ontario hospitals)
- Canada Health Infoway
- Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose Members are Canada's 14 federal, provincial and territorial Deputy Ministers of Health
- British Columbia has all their lab results tied together via LOINC codes
- HEDIS requires LOINC codes for new quantitative quality assurance measures.
Are there any professional organizations that certify personnel to perform LOINC mapping?
At this time, Regenstrief does not provide or authorize a LOINC mapping certification for organizations or individuals. We have created a voluntary online directory of LOINC adopters at http://loinc.org/adopters as a reference. Some of the organizations in this directory do offer LOINC mapping as a service.
How do I obtain a license for my organization to adopt LOINC codes?
Regenstrief Institute distributes LOINC and RELMA free of charge. In obtaining and using LOINC or RELMA, you agree to the terms-of-use that are outlined at http://loinc.org/terms-of-use. No extra approval process from Regenstrief Institute is necessary for use consistent with these terms.
Are there any articles or publications regarding LOINC?
Numerous articles and publications can be found at Documentation.
Case Sensitivity
All LOINC names are case insensitive. Senders and receivers may use upper, lower, or mixed case. Meanings should NOT be sensitive to case conversion to avoid the possibility of confusion when the information is sent over networks that may apply case conversion. For the few names that ARE case sensitive by international convention, such as red blood cell antigens, we use the word 'LITTLE' in front of the the letter that is lower case. Superscripts are indicated by the word "SUPER'.
What kind of hierarchy does LOINC have?
Computable hierarchies exist in LOINC, but are not currently exposed in a relational or semantic network format that would be easy for a terminology server to consume. The hierarchy can be graphically displayed by clicking on "Set Hierarchy and Search Limits" tab in RELMA, component hierarchy tab, then clicking on "+" sign next to items you are interested in.
