A UNIVERSAL CODE OF STANDARD IN HEALTHCARE

 

 LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes)

Since different systems have a dissimilar way of pinpointing the same concept, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has adopted the Logical Observation Identifiers Name and Codes (LOINC) version 2.27, and made this a requirement for Electronic Health Records technology to be certified as a meaningful user (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services n.d.)

LOINC came into existence in 1994 by the Regenstrief Institute as a universal code of standard that enables data collection, exchange, and processing of test results (Gillette, 2005).  LOINC laboratory test results are identified in an inclusive and constant manner, base on the characteristics of component, property, time, system or specimen, scale or precision and method. Each distinctive arrangement of these six sections c a unique laboratory result and is given a unique LOINC identity code( Nuebert et al, 2013)

 

As a vocabulary norm for clinical and laboratory observation, LOINC contributes to cost reduction without compromising quality or patients safety, as well as  improve quality of healthcare and  health outcomes (Gillette, 2005).

  

 

 

Healthcare and its universal code

  

 

LOINC code and name structure

 

References

 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2015) Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/ReportingCQMsin2015.html

 

Gillette, B. (2005). Integrating lab results into analytic databases can yield valuable information. Managed Healthcare Executive, 15(6), 34-36.
 

Neubert, A., Dormann, H., Prokosch, H., Bürkle, T., Rascher, W., Sojer, R., & ... Criegee-Rieck, M. (2013). E-pharmacovigilance: development and implementation of a computable knowledge base to identify adverse drug reactions. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 69-77.