Requesting new LOINC terms
LOINC grows because you ask
Since its inception, Regenstrief Institute has developed LOINC as an open standard. We welcome requests for new LOINC terms. It is because of submissions from the LOINC community that we’ve been able to grow and adapt so quickly.
We need your help
Regenstrief has always tried to respond promptly to term submissions while balancing the review necessary for a high quality standard. We can only do it, however, if the requester provides clear and comprehensive information about the new terms needed.
Some requests take longer
Even with complete information supporting your submission, some requests require discussion and decision by the LOINC Committee before they are completed by the Health Data Standards unit at Regenstrief.
You have two options for creating your request
Either option below will get you into our queue for careful review and development. Choose the one which best suits your particular situation.
Use our web form
The online form is the easiest means for submitting your request. It will walk you through the steps to enter the relevant information.
Use a template
You can also download one of our spreadsheet templates to create your request. This may be the best option for certain domains.
Need more info?
If you are already familiar with the information required, we welcome you to proceed using either option. Otherwise, we have details below to guide you.
Submission Queue
See all the requests in development and their statuses.
My Submissions
The history of requests you have submitted are listed here. Login required.
Suggest an edit
Do you need to propose a change to an existing term? Here’s how.
Here’s what we need
The information you provide about your local test or measurement and how it is used is more important than the proposed LOINC name you come up with. Having complete information on what your local test is makes the review process much smoother. It helps us create clear term definitions as well as verifying and enhancing other accessory content, which benefits everyone.
The kinds of information we need does vary a bit depending on the type of content: lab, radiology, document titles, survey questionnaires, etc., so not all items are applicable all of the time.
Suggesting a LOINC name
With all this information at hand, you can suggest a LOINC name. It needs to follow the naming patterns of existing concepts as described in the LOINC Knowledge Base. The name should reflect the LOINC axes values:
- Component (Analyte)
- Property
- Timing aspect
- System
- Scale
- Method (if submitted)
Don’t be surprised if the name LOINC comes up with differs from the one you proposed. It’s our job to look across the whole database and follow existing naming conventions and models.
- Local test/observation name
- Local order (panel) name
- Description of the test (what it measures, how it is performed, what it is used for, and clinical relevance)
- Name of send out lab (if applicable)
- Name of healthcare organization that stimulated the request for this term (if you are submitting on behalf of someone else)
- Units of measure (for quantitative observations)
- Answer lists (for qualitative observations)
- Sample results, reports (if applicable)
- Package inserts, test kit documentation (if applicable)
- Vendor, instrument, and/or reagent kit used to perform this test (if applicable)
- Description of the project or activity that stimulated the request for this term (e.g. IHE Antepartum Record Profile, Indiana Network for Patient Care health information exchange project, etc)
- Implementation guide (for terms designed for use in the context of a specific messaging implementation guide), or any other documentation you have
- If the request is for a panel, you must indicate the tests that comprise the panel
- Tell us which tests in the panel already have a LOINC code
- For any tests in the panel that do not already have a LOINC code, you’ll need to supply all of the above information. These new test terms should be separate request entries in your submission.
Submission Templates
Our web form is designed for straightforward requests across numerous domains. However, we know there are circumstances where a domain-specific context is necessary. These templates may also serve as a starting point to draft your information. In fact, you can use the Basic Submission Template as the basis for the file upload in our online form.
Submit your template
When you’ve completed the template, attach the file—and all supporting documentation—to an email at [email protected]. It will get the same level of attention as requests via our web form.
Basic
Use this template if you are requesting new document or report titles, or simple clinical measurements. This template can be used in the upload step of our web form.
Lab
Use this template if you are requesting new laboratory tests. You can also use it to specify panels of lab terms.
Surveys/Forms
Use this template if you are submitting a survey instrument, form, or data set. It includes examples and the original forms for reference.
Radiology
Use this template if you are submitting requests for new radiology procedure codes. The template includes helpful examples.