News
September 8, 2021

LOINC® issues new terms for healthcare data interoperability; begins new release schedule

LOINC August 2021 release

LOINC® from Regenstrief Institute released its semiannual content update with 400 new terms to help health systems, laboratories and other health organizations exchange data. This release prioritized terms related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 testing, clinical care, documentation and reporting.

This release is the first on LOINC’s new release schedule, with updates now being published in August and February. Beginning in February 2022, LOINC will be streamlining the release structure to make it easier for users to access all of the necessary files.

LOINC, which stands for Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, is a universal system to identify laboratory and health observations, facilitating healthcare interoperability. It is used in nearly every country in the world.

About LOINC®

LOINC was created in 1994 at Regenstrief Institute in an effort to facilitate interoperability in healthcare. Today, the LOINC coding system contains more than 96,200 terms for everything from a serum alpha 1 antitrypsin level to a zygomatic arch x-ray report. For each concept, LOINC covers 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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