LOINC Panels are collections of terms to represent specific sets of information

Beginning with version 1.0, the LOINC database was expanded to include order sets/panels. We use the word “panel” to mean collector terms that are linked to an enumerated set of discrete child elements. Across domains, this generic concept of a collection might be called a battery, form, data set, etc. For example, these collections can be a laboratory battery of tests, a group of findings from a procedure such as an EKG, and forms or assessments related to health that are completed by patients and/or providers. The same general panel structure in LOINC is used to represent all of these kinds of collections.

LOINC Panels contain a specific structure with optional attributes, and depending on the type of panel, can include attributes values such as form coding instructions, skip logic, optionality, and nested panels.

Panels encompass many domains of content, including:

  • Laboratory panels
  • Clinical Assessments, Scales, and Measures
  • Clinical Documents and Summary panels
  • Diagnostic studies (non-lab) panels
  • US Government panels (including the CMS LT-PAC instruments MDS, IRF-PAI, LCDS, and OASIS)
  • Survey Instruments

For more information on modeling of Panels in LOINC, refer to Chapter 7 "Panels (Batteries)" of the LOINC Users' Guide.

Hierarchy Browser

With LOINC's Hierarchy Browser tool, you can browse through panels by numerous categories, each containing subcategories indicating the panels intended use. Within the tool, simply change the Hierarchy option to "Panels." A free LOINC login is required to access this resource.

LHC-Forms

Learn how this open-source tool can create data input forms using LOINC's panel terms. You can find links to our implementation on Details pages and RELMA/Search LOING results for panel terms.

File Contents

This file contains one primary table that includes all of the panels contained in the LOINC database with their full panel structure, as well as additional tables with associated Answer List and term-level data. See descriptions of the pertinent files below.

Download

LOINC Complete

Your LOINC login is required to download. This accessory file is available within the combined LOINC file. Get more information on files included within this zip archive.

Version 2.77
Released 2024-02-27
Size 71.30 MB

API Access

LOINC Answer Lists and Answers are currently available as resources via LOINC's FHIR Terminology Server. See our documentation for more information on how to use the Terminology Server including example requests.

Questionnaire Resource

LOINC Panels are also available as part of the Questionnaire resource within FHIR. You can find more information on this resource type on the FHIR website.

File Descriptions

PanelsAndForms.csv

This file contains all of the panels in LOINC, with one row representing each individual term within the panel along with information specific to the instance of that term within the panel, including the display name for the specific form, cardinality, skip logic and form coding instructions.

Some LOINC panels contain child panels nested underneath. For the nested panels, the row for each term within that panel will have the value for the immediate parent in the "Parent" column. And for the nested panel terms themselves, the panel terms that contain them will be contained in their "Parent" column.

This hierarchical structure uses the adjacency list model. It is represented in the file by the ParentID, ID and SEQUENCE fields. The root, or top level, records in the file are those records where the ParentID = ID.

For example, if Panel A contains Panel B and C, and Panel B contains Terms 1, 2 and 3 and Panel C contains Terms 4, 5 and 6, this would be represented as:

PARENT CHILD
Panel A Panel B
Panel B Term 1
Panel B Term 2
Panel B Term 3
Panel A Panel C
Panel C Term 4
Panel C Term 5
Panel C Term 6

Note that this file is limited to LOINC panel terms and their child elements. LOINC terms that don't exist as part of a panel are NOT included.

AnswerList.csv

See the Answer File artifact for detailed information regarding this table.

LoincAnswerListLink.csv

See the Answer File artifact for detailed information regarding this table.

Loinc.csv

See Appendix A of the LOINC Users' Guide for definitions of the fields included in the LOINC table.

Examples

The following examples show how the data is presented for the respective panel in the PanelsAndForms.csv file. Several empty columns have been omitted from the following representation.

62341-3 Borrelia burgdorferi IgG+IgM with reflex to immune blot panel - Serum

ParentId ParentLoinc ParentName ID SEQUENCE Loinc LoincName Obs...
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47348 1043 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser  
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47349 1 34148-7 B burgdor IgG+IgM Ser-aCnc R
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 102310 2 5064-1 B burgdor IgM Ser IA-aCnc O
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47346 3 46248-1 B burgdor IgG+IgM Ser IA-Imp O
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47350 4 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB O
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41988 1 9588-5 B burgdor18kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41987 2 9589-3 B burgdor23kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41986 3 9590-1 B burgdor28kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41985 4 9591-9 B burgdor30kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41984 5 9592-7 B burgdor39kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41983 6 9593-5 B burgdor41kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41982 7 9594-3 B burgdor45kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41981 8 9595-0 B burgdor58kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41980 9 9596-8 B burgdor66kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41979 10 9597-6 B burgdor93kD IgG Ser Ql IB R
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 47498 11 6320-6 B burgdor IgG Ser Ql IB O
41977 60342-3 B burdor IgG pnl Ser IB 41978 12 13502-0 B burgdor IgG Patrn Ser IB-Imp O
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47362 5 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB O
47362 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB 47363 1 9598-4 B burgdor23kD IgM Ser Ql IB R
47362 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB 47364 2 9599-2 B burgdor39kD IgM Ser Ql IB R
47362 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB 47365 3 9587-7 B burgdor41kD IgM Ser Ql IB R
47362 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB 47504 4 6321-4 B burgdor IgM Ser Ql IB  
47362 60343-1 B burdor IgM pnl Ser IB 47502 5 13503-8 B burgdor IgM Patrn Ser IB-Imp O
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47347 6 62342-1 B burgdor IgG+IgM Ser IB-Imp O
47348 62341-3 B burgdor IgG+IgM W reflex to IB pnl Ser 47345 7 9586-9 B burgdor Ab Ser-Imp O

TIP R indicates Required, O indicates Optional, C indicates Conditional