Codes for LOINC class

Legacy loinc-development other-loinc-enhancements
1

Hi!

I’d like to know if we should use LOINC codes or LOINC part codes for classes. E.g. 26435-8 Molecular pathology studies or LP7822-2 MOLPATH?

Thank you,
Maria

2

Hi Maria!

While not being certain what you’re asking your database/use case to achieve, I would recommend you let the loinc.csv class (ALLERGY, CHEM, etc) and classtype field starnd for themselves (1,2,3,4). Are you able to link the loinc table to your database fields and cross-check that way?

Let me know what outcome you’re trying to derive, and I’ll try to help further.

All the best,

Pam

3

Hi Pam!

I am looking for lab specialty class codes to use into the HL7 CDA2 of the Laboratory Report. According to the Italian law, it should explicit for each test the related lab specialty class.

Thank you for your help!

Maria

4

Hi Maria!

Not being familiar with Italian laws, but realizing HL7 CDA has the RMIM to identify source material; wouldn’t the HL7 CDA RMIM prescribe the format definition for the related lab specialty class? It seems the alpha character format of the CLASS field within the LOINC database (DRUGDOSE, DRUG/TOX, MOLPATH.MUT, etc) that is easily retrievable by the computer.

Thanks for helping educate me,

Happy Friday!

Pam

5

Hi Pam!

If I am right, you suggest to not use numeric code but the alphabetic strings like DRUGDOSE, DRUG/TOX, etc?

Another question: would you suggest to identify belonging class for each test or it can be assumed that all the tests of a lab specialty correspond for sure to one and only one LOINC class?

Thank you,

Maria

6

Hi Maria,

I was deferring to the HL7 CDA RMIM to define if there should be alphabetic strings or numeric code, pertaining to LOINC class. This was based on a premise that the reporting is taking place on assays with LOINC terms attached. It’s a “drill down” from the involved LOINC terms for each patient to have a table pull of the associated CLASS field in the LOINC database.

As for the second question, each LOINC term only has one class assigned it in the database. In our experience the LOINC-assigned class serves as a baseline of organization, but it does not mimic the real world laboratory workstations/departments (which I am aligning with the “lab specialty” term being used). For example, the PULM class blood gas measurements are often performed in a medical laboratory setting, rather than the pulmonary department. However, a medical laboratory will provide a variety of assays (described in their electronic Directory of Services [eDOS]) and these cross many LOINC classes.

Perhaps I am not understanding the context of the word ‘CLASS’ in the original question.

Pam

7

Perhaps it might be better if I recap my original question.

We are required to determine which codes to use for identifying lab specialties for each test we report in the HL7 CDA Laboratory report. For example:

Should 625-4 Bacteria identified in Stool by Culture be reported along with:

  1. 18725-2 Microbiology studies (as stated in the Italian CDA HL7 Laboratory Report)

or

  1. LP7819-8 MICRO (as in the class table provided by Regenstrief for Italian translation)?

I am not sure if this is done in the US, but we are required to do so.

Let me go back to my last question about the correspondance between a test and its lab specialty: if a lab provides us with a group of microbiology tests, can I assume that they all correspond to the same class (identified by one of the above codes) or should I verify the class each single test belongs to by using LOINC table?

I hope that I have made myself clear.

Greetings, Maria