Automatic annotation of ICD-to-MedDRA mappings with SKOS predicates

Robust alignments between ICD and MedDRA are essential to enable the secondary use of clinical data for pharmacovigilance research. UMLS makes available ICD-to-MedDRA mappings, but they are only poorly specified, which introduces difficulties when exploited in an automatic way. SKOS vocabulary can help achieve quality and machine-processable mappings. We have developed an algorithm based on several simple rules which annotates automatically ICD-to-MedDRA mappings with SKOS predicates. The method was tested and evaluated on a sample of ICD-10-to MedDRA mappings extracted from UMLS. The algorithm demonstrated satisfying performances, especially for skos:exactMatch properties, which suggests that automatic methods can be used to improve the quality of terminology mappings.

ICD-11 and SNOMED CT Common Ontology: circulatory system

The improvement of semantic interoperability between data in electronic health records and aggregated data for health statistics requires efforts to carefully align the two domain terminologies ICD and SNOMED CT. Both represent a new generation of ontology-based terminologies and classifications. The proposed alignment of these two systems and, in consequence, the validity of their cross-utilisation, requires a specific resource, named Common Ontology. We present the ICD-11 SNOMED CT Common Ontology building process including: a) the principles proposed for aligning the two systems with the help of a common model of meaning, b) the design of this common ontology, and c) preliminary results of the application to the diseases of the circulatory system.

[Criteria for the assessment of the noise-induced occupational hearing loss: international and national standards]

The objective of the present paper was to review international and national standards for the criteria of assessment of the noise-induced occupational loss of hearing. The importance of healthy hearing for the occupational safety is emphasized which implies the necessity of the more rigorous criteria for hearing conservation in the workers engaged in the noisy technological environment compared with those for the general population. A rationale for the development of the standard program of hearing conservation in the workers engaged in the noisy technological environment is proposed including hygienic norms and rules or national state standards.

Evaluation of inpatient clinical documentation readiness for ICD-10-CM

This research study examined the gaps in documentation that occur when coding in ICD-10-CM. More than 4,000 diagnoses from all chapters were coded from 656 electronic documents obtained from a large integrated healthcare facility at the time the study was conducted (2012). After the documents were coded, areas for documentation improvement were identified for chapters that resulted in deficiencies in documentation, and a quick reference guide was developed. The overall absent documentation percentage was 15.4 percent. The 10 chapters with the highest percentage of absent documentation were chapter 7 (Diseases of Eye and Adnexa), with 67.65 percent (p < .001); chapter 8 (Diseases of Ear and Mastoid Process), with 63.64 percent (p < .001); chapter 13 (Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue), with 46.05 percent (p < .001); chapter 14 (Diseases of the Genitourinary System), with 40.29 percent (p < .001); chapter 10 (Diseases of Respiratory System), with 35.52 percent (p < .001); chapter 1 (Infectious and Parasitic Diseases), with 32.88 percent (p < .001); chapter 12 (Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue), with 32.35 percent (p < .001); chapter 2 (Neoplasms), with 25.45 percent (p < .001); chapter 4 (Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases), with 14.58 percent (p < .001); and chapter 17 (Congenital Malformations, Deformations, and Chromosomal Abnormalities), with 12.50 percent. We addressed the deficient areas in the quick reference guide developed for clinicians and technology vendors. Having complete and accurate documentation would benefit both the clinician and the patient in providing the highest quality of care.

What's in a class? Lessons learnt from the ICD - SNOMED CT harmonisation

The upcoming ICD-11 will be harmonized with SNOMED CT via a common ontological layer (CO). We provide evidence for our hypothesis that this cannot be appropriately done by simple ontology alignment, due to diverging ontological commitment between the two terminology systems. Whereas the common ontology describes clinical situations, ICD-11 linearization codes are best to be interpreted as diagnostic statements. For the binding between ICD codes and classes from the ontological layer, a query-based approach is favoured.

ICD-10 means better documentation is a must

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has set Oct. 1, 2014, as the firm date for implementation of ICD-10. There is no grace period for implementation. All claims to any payer must use ICD-10 codes for medical diagnosis and inpatient procedures or they may be rejected and providers will have to resubmit them. The ICD-10 code set has more fields than ICD-9 and requires a more detailed level of documentation. Case managers need to understand what the new coding set means and how it will affect their work.

The wave As federal EHR incentives recede, the next surge in health IT spending begins to take shape

Presbyterian Intercommunity hospital, part of PHI Health, is on the leading edge of a new surge in healthcare information technology. The hospital's plans include setting up a data warehouse for patient records and a patient portal, which is seen as key to involving patients in their own care. "It's really about patient engagement," said Dr. Davis Lee of PIH Health, left. "There are benefits to get the patients to go online and communicate with providers."