LOINC In Vitro Diagnostic Test Code Mapping

Key points

  • Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) are used to identify and report laboratory test results in electronic reporting systems.
  • LOINC and SNOMED facilitate timely reporting of data to public health agencies.
  • Access test code mapping resources and contact CDC to verify code choices.

LIVD test code mapping

Using Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC®) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT®) to identify and report laboratory test results in electronic reporting systems facilitates timely reporting of high-quality data to state and federal public health agencies. The following documents align with the LIVD specification to provide LOINC and SNOMED mappings for certain diagnostic tests.

The LIVD files provide coding for these data elements:

  • LOINC test order
  • LOINC test result
  • SNOMED CT test description
  • SNOMED CT specimen source
  • Device Identifier

CDC and its partners will review and update these files periodically for new and discontinued tests. For more information about these files, email DLSInquiries@cdc.gov and use "LIVD Test Code Mapping" in the subject line. Learn how to request new LIVD files in collaboration with CDC and APHL.

LIVD files

Disease-Associated LIVD Files†:

Additional Publicly Available LIVD Files†:

Accessibility

If you need assistance to read the Excel spreadsheets presented here, please email DLSInquiries@cdc.gov and use "LIVD Test Code Mapping" in the subject line.

Use disclaimer

CDC publishes this information in collaboration with partners as a service to users. Partners include:

  • The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • IVD Industry Connectivity Consortium (IICC)
  • The Regenstrief Institute
  • SNOMED International
  • SNOMED US National Release Center at National Library of Medicine
  • Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)

Users include:

  • Clinical laboratory personnel
  • Federal, state, and local public health agencies
  • IVD test developers or manufacturers
  • Laboratory Information System (LIS) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) vendors

Users of these tests with questions or concerns about the codes may contact CDC at DLSInquiries@cdc.gov for information about verifying codes with the partners in this project. CDC will reply with details of the code choice. If needed, a meeting will be organized with code developers (for example, the manufacturer, FDA, Regenstrief, Informatics experts) to discuss the process for choosing the codes of concern.

The use of an asterisk (*) next to a code in these files means that the code has not been verified by the manufacturer; therefore, CDC cannot attest to the accuracy of the code.

†Use of trade names, commercial sources, or private organizations is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by CDC of instruments or companies listed in these documents. The CDC cannot verify the compliance of documents produced by outside agencies and companies. If you have problems accessing them or questions related to their content, please contact the vendor directly and mention the name of the file so they can assist you.

About these files

The LIVD specification outlines an industry-defined format to facilitate the publication and exchange of LOINC codes for vendor IVD test results—based on either vendor IVD test transmission codes or manual test identification—for use by laboratory personnel or laboratory applications. The LIVD file can be directly used by IVD software systems to automate their mapping between vendor-specific IVD test transmission codes and LOINC codes, significantly reducing the risk of erroneously mapped test results and units of measure. Find more information about the LIVD specification at http://ivdconnectivity.org/livd.

Use of codes defined in the LIVD files will harmonize code selection between healthcare systems. Harmonization of codes between healthcare systems has been shown to improve semantic interoperability for laboratory reporting. The LIVD files provide concise documents that define LOINC and SNOMED CT codes for reporting to public health agencies. The use of these files could reduce inaccuracies and time spent on the import of laboratory test results sent through laboratory information systems.

Background on these resources

Public health surveillance for reportable and nationally notifiable diseases and conditions relies on laboratory criteria to support case definitions and classification. The mapping of test results for electronic laboratory reporting systems used by clinical laboratories is challenging due to the numerous test platforms available. The ability for computer systems to transmit data that is unambiguous and has shared meaning (semantic interoperability) is needed to harmonize the large volume of laboratory test data both within and especially between healthcare systems.

A multi-stakeholder public-private partnership, Systemic Harmonization and Interoperability Enhancement for Laboratory Data (SHIELD) was convened to harmonize laboratory coding by ensuring the same type of test is described the same way using terminology standards, e.g., LOINC®, SNOMED CT®, and Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM), as well as Unique Device Identifiers (UDI).

In June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration published guidance titled "Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes for In Vitro Diagnostic Tests" to encourage instrument manufacturers to provide LOINC codes for their tests. IVD manufacturers are providing LOINC using the digital format provided by the IVD Industry Connectivity Consortium (IICC).

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