Indianapolis, USA and Copenhagen, Denmark: July 12, 2012 The Regenstrief Institute, whose Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, or LOINC, is the most accepted international terminology for medical tests and measurements, and the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation, provider of the leading comprehensive clinical terminology for health care, called SNOMED CT, are exploring a long-term collaborative relationship to develop coded content to support order entry and result reporting critical to the computerized transmission of medical information.
The two groups recently drafted a general framework for collaboration that will serve as a basis for a formal agreement. This framework builds on and complements the strengths of both organizations and terminologies. The initial focus of the cooperative work will be laboratory testing, with the intention of extending to other areas of mutual interest. The IHTSDO and the Regenstrief Institute will work together to develop this initial framework into a formal business agreement, assess the initial efforts required to put the proposed agreement into effect, as well as plan, support and undertake continuing cooperative work.
“IHTSDO welcomes the opportunity for closer cooperation with Regenstrief and the LOINC Committee,” said John van Beek, chair of the IHTSDO Management Board. “Bringing SNOMED CT and LOINC closer together will enhance the semantic consistency of international health care terminology. By enabling interoperable use of our terminologies in electronic health records, this will advance our shared objectives of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of health care.”
“Regenstrief and the LOINC Committee are enthusiastic about collaborating with the IHTSDO to add value to both LOINC and SNOMED CT,” said Regenstrief investigator Daniel Vreeman, DPT, M.Sc., associate director of terminology services at the Regenstrief Institute and assistant research professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. “We look forward to this joint work with IHTSDO because we believe it will improve the semantic interoperability of health data worldwide by enabling LOINC and SNOMED CT to work better together. Likewise, both organizations can accomplish more by reducing duplicative work.”
About the Regenstrief Institute and LOINC
Regenstrief Institute Inc., an internationally recognized informatics and health care research organization, is dedicated to the improvement of health through research that enhances the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Established in 1969 by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief on the campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, the institute is supported by the Regenstrief Foundation and closely affiliated with the IU School of Medicine and the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana. LOINC is a set of universal codes and names to identify laboratory and other clinical observations that facilitates exchange and pooling of clinical results for clinical care, outcomes management and research. LOINC was initiated by Regenstrief Institute research scientists who continue to develop it with the collaboration of the LOINC Committee. For more information please visit the Regenstrief Institute and LOINC websites: regenstrief.org and loinc.org.
About IHTSDO and SNOMED CT
The IHTSDO (International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation) and its members seek to improve the health of humankind by fostering the development and use of suitable standardized clinical terminologies, notably SNOMED CT, in order to support the safe, accurate and effective exchange of health information. IHTSDO’s governance structure allows members to control and guide the development of SNOMED CT, to ensure it meets both their joint needs and the specific needs of their individual countries. SNOMED Clinical Terms, or SNOMED CT, is a standardized terminology that can be used as the foundation for electronic health records and other applications. SNOMED CT is the most comprehensive, multilingual clinical terminology in the world. It enables safe and effective communication, retrieval and use of meaningful health information. The terminology is in use in more than 50 countries around the world. SNOMED CT was originally created by the College of American Pathologists by combining SNOMED RT and a computer-based nomenclature and classification known as Clinical Terms Version 3, formerly known as Read Codes Version 3. For more information please visit www.ihtsdo.org
