SNOMED Issues Open IPS Terminology to Improve Clinical Data Interoperability

Data standard group SNOMED International has issued the first production release of its International Patient Summary (IPS) Terminology to improve clinical data interoperability for non-SNOMED International members.

The IPS terminology adds the hierarchy, defining relationships, and extra synonyms from the SNOMED CT International Edition to form a sub-ontology of SNOMED CT that stakeholders can upload into a terminology server for the specified scope of the IPS.

The IPS is an extract of an EHR containing essential healthcare information to support cross-border patient care.

From a technical standpoint, the IPS is a minimal, non-exhaustive set of data elements defined by ISO/EN 17269 and delivered by HL7 in both CDA and FHIR using a set of SNOMED CT terms.

Since 2019, SNOMED International has made a free set of SNOMED CT codes available as part of its Global Patient Set (GPS) to support the implementation of the HL7 FHIR IPS specification.

The GPS is a 'flat list' of SNOMED CT codes and terms without hierarchy or relationships, while the IPS Terminology brings all the benefits of the SNOMED CT structure.

"In response to the interest that governments globally have shown in implementing the IPS to enhance timely cross-border health information flow and interoperability, SNOMED International has prioritized the creation and release of the IPS Terminology, openly available with content from SNOMED CT,"
Don Sweete, CEO of SOMED International, said in a press release.

"We are at a point where enabling digital healthcare systems worldwide to work together seamlessly is critical," he added. "To advance these efforts, we have chosen to dedicate our resources to achieve the goal of interoperability by equipping the IPS, already one of the best examples of international collaboration among standards bodies, with the full capabilities that SNOMED CT offers."

First released in its beta version in April 2022 for stakeholder testing and feedback, the IPS Terminology comes with a user guide to support implementers in non-Member regions.

The Guide provides an overview of the IPS Terminology's scope, features, and use cases and gives directions on how to implement the IPS Terminology in a terminology server.

Current SNOMED CT users, those located in a SNOMED International Member region, or those with an Affiliate license to a complete SNOMED CT edition should avoid using the IPS Terminology and implement their IPS solutions using a full edition of SNOMED CT.

To share IPS data with non-Affiliates, licensed users may refer to the IPS Reference Set, which identifies the subset of key concepts from the IPS Terminology. The IPS Reference Set is a supplementary package from SNOMED International's MLDS service.