SNOMED CT global clinical terminology is introduced in Germany through the Medical Informatics Initiative

London, United Kingdom, March 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) formally announced a relationship with SNOMED International Wednesday March 18, 2020.  As of last week, the Federal Ministry of Research has given MII participants nationwide a license to use SNOMED CT.

Owned and maintained by SNOMED International, SNOMED CT is the world’s largest clinical terminology, representing a collection of more than 350,000+ clinical concepts and built upon ontological principles and of particular use when applied in research and planning capacities.  SNOMED CT’s primary purpose is to support all healthcare professionals in their recording and sharing of detailed patient information within Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and across healthcare communities globally. Its ontological foundations allow SNOMED CT data to support detailed data analytics to meet a variety of use cases from local requirements to population-based analytics.

With the help of SNOMED CT, programs can translate different medical terms into an internationally standardized numerical code. In this way, clinical data from different countries can be compared and used for research.  This creates the prerequisites for treating diseases more effectively in the future, recognizing them faster and supporting prevention. The networking of routine care data and top medical research has great potential - for better medical treatment and for strengthening Germany as a business and science location.

With a strong presence in Europe, MII’s license joins the initiative with 24 Members across Europe in the adoption and use of SNOMED CT.  Currently within Germany, there also exist a large number of additional SNOMED CT affiliate licensees, representing a mixture of large vendors and local development licenses which have been provided free of charge for the time limited period of a project. 

As part of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the terminology standard can now be used nationwide.  This “pilot license” will be initially limited to MII participants and project partners. During the course of the agreement, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) bears applicable license fees.  The technology and method platform for networked medical research (TMF e.V.) will serve as the National Release Center and, as the MII coordination point, will organize and support the nationwide cooperation of the MII participants.

SNOMED International is pleased to support the use of SNOMED CT throughout Germany and specifically within the Medical Informatics Initiative.  CEO Don Sweete offers, “This is an exciting development which will benefit healthcare professionals and patients throughout the country. German licensees are joining a global SNOMED CT community which extends access to dedicated regional resources, release support, education, open source tooling and software, and in-person engagement opportunities.”  With a complement of 39 Members, SNOMED CT now represents approximately one third of the global population. Adding to that complement with our affiliate licensees, SNOMED CT is now used in more than ninety countries globally.

About the The Medical Informatics Initiative

The medical informatics initiative was created to close the gap between research and healthcare.  All of Germany’s university hospitals have joined forces with research institutions, businesses, health insurers, and patient advocacy groups to create a framework that harnesses research findings to the direct benefit of patients.  The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is investing around 160 million euros in the programme through 2021. Learn More..

About SNOMED International

SNOMED International is a not-for-profit organization that owns and develops SNOMED CT, the world's most comprehensive healthcare terminology product.  We play an essential role in improving the health of humankind by determining standards for a codified language that represents groups of clinical terms.  This enables healthcare information to be exchanged globally for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders. We are committed to the rigorous evolution of our products and services, to deliver continuous innovation for the global healthcare community.  SNOMED International is the trading name of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. Learn More...

Kelly Kuru SNOMED International 1 416 566 8725 kku@snomed.org