The Regenstrief Institute's latest update to the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) database features nearly 1,600 new concepts and 1,400 modifications aimed at enhancing the exchange and interoperability of health data across global systems.

The LOINC tool is used for standardizing health information across 196 countries, with the update covering a range of healthcare focus areas, including diagnostics, medical devices, public health reporting, social determinants of health and various assessments.

250 new concepts

Among the key focuses of the update is the approximately 250 new concepts introduced to improve how electronic health data is represented, with the aim of facilitating data translation between systems with differing structures.

One of the new concepts developed is for a Food and Drug Administration-approved diagnostic system that uses artificial intelligence to detect cervical cancer.

The update also continues to refine post-acute care assessments required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Other important collaborations includes work with the Diabetes Technology Society to standardize data for continuous glucose monitoring devices and with the National Committee for Quality Assurance on assessments for managing high-impact chronic pain.

Pathology data in Australasia

Additional updates focus on concepts for pathology information in Australasia, a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand and some neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean, and support for the Netherlands' new national laboratory information system.

The update also added content to the International Patient Summary to alert clinicians to critical health conditions and incorporated new SDOH content through the Gravity Project, addressing social risk factors like job insecurity and housing instability.

"Collaboration and requests drive how LOINC expands and evolves," explained LOINC Executive Director of Health Data Standards Marjorie Rallins. "We have an ongoing collaboration with SNOMED International to develop the LOINC Ontology, a LOINC and SNOMED CT interoperability solution."

The LOINC Ontology supports users who implement different combinations of SNOMED CT and LOINC in health information systems and allows them to meet clinical and regulatory requirements in various countries in a single solution.

SNOMED CT linked with LOINC

Linked together in a complementary way, SNOMED CT provides the computable framework and LOINC provides laboratory, pathology and clinical observation content in a familiar format.

Rallins explained the 2.78 release of LOINC includes enhancements to LOINC to support the LOINC Ontology.

"Given LOINC's international use, we were pleased to collaborate with developers of the International Patient Summary, a global standard for sharing and documenting a patient's essential health information electronically," she added.

The IPS is a snapshot of a patient's record that can be used by healthcare providers anywhere in the world, regardless of specialty or condition. New content to support the alert section is intended to alert clinicians to extreme health conditions affecting the patient.

Enhancing interoperability

"If we had unlimited resources, LOINC would be released more frequently," Rallins said. "Regular updates provide users with access to the latest developments, and they enhance interoperability."

She explained working with international stakeholders presents some logistics challenges given the different time zones and languages.

"However, international stakeholder collaboration is viewed primarily as a strength rather than a challenge," she said.

She pointed out working with international companies, clinicians, scholars and engineers provides new sources of knowledge and experience that greatly enhance LOINC content.

"There are differences between healthcare in the U.S. and other countries, but 99% of aspects are common, so working internationally makes the pool of contributors greater and broadens the knowledge available for making new codes," Rallins said.

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.
Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com
Twitter: @dropdeaded209