Two non-profits, the Regenstrief Institute Inc. and the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) have announced they will link their healthcare terminologies, Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) and SNOMED Clinical Terms.
The agreement between the two organizations, will aim to improve safety, functionality and interoperability for clinicians who manage and exchange health data with electronic medical records (EMRs). It will link the clinical semantics of SNOMED CT to the laboratory tests and clinical measurements coverage provided by the LOINC codes. The immediate focus for the terminologies will be laboratory testing as well as some basic clinical measurements. Ultimately, the organizations will aim to provide clinicians with a common framework within which to use LOINC and SNOMED CT.
Regenstrief and IHTSDO have worked together on short-term projects in the past. This agreement will ensure they have a long-term relationship for the next 10 years.
“IHTSDO is very pleased with the conclusion of the long-term agreement with the Regenstrief Institute Inc. and thereby with the LOINC Committee,” John van Beek, chair of the IHTSDO Management Board, said in a statement “This agreement consolidates the growing cooperation between our organizations. It will lead to acceleration of cooperative work to improve interoperable use of SNOMED CT with LOINC, which will benefit the quality and effectiveness of healthcare.”
