LOINC® users from 38 countries participated in the annual conference in Annecy, France, which featured a host of sessions and workshops focused on using LOINC, data, and standards to drive change, revolutionize care and realize health equity.
The presentations showcased the collective accomplishments and ongoing efforts of the health data standards community to provide actionable and practical tools, methods and mechanisms to continue the interoperability marathon.
LOINC, short for Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, is a global standard for health terminology. Created and maintained at Regenstrief Institute, LOINC enables the identification, exchange and collection of data across health systems and is used around the world.
Attendees of the LOINC conference were engaged learners from around the globe, who represented a variety of industries such as software and device manufacturers, healthcare providers, laboratories, government agencies, and research and educational institutions. As with prior conferences, attendees were given opportunities for hands-on learning, expert discussions and engaging presentations from a wide range of authorities and specialists in health data and informatics. The four-day conference, conducted October 24-27, included content:
- a framework for newer users and to bolster knowledge for advanced users;
- sessions led by LOINC community members who are applying and administering the LOINC terminology in the field; and
- committee meetings to discuss healthcare trends and the impact on LOINC and other data standards.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of this standard and its impact on data interoperability.
About LOINC®
LOINC was created in 1994 at Regenstrief Institute to facilitate interoperability in healthcare. There was a growing trend to send clinical data electronically between healthcare entities, a practice that has now become ubiquitous. Today, it contains almost 100,000 terms for everything from a serum alpha 1 antitrypsin level to a zygomatic arch x-ray report. For each concept, LOINC contains many other rich details, such as synonyms, units of measure, and carefully crafted descriptions.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
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