Adequacy of evolving national standardized terminologies for interdisciplinary coded concepts in an automated clinical pathway

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the adequacy of evolving national standardized terminologies with regard to coded data elements (concepts) in an automated clinical pathway designed to drive adherence with the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Evaluation and Management of Chronic Heart Failure. Method. Concepts were identified in a previously developed automated clinical pathway and associated tools. Once identified, concepts were categorized according to the conceptual domains identified by Campbell et al. (1997). A review of evolving national standardized terminologies and coding systems was initiated to determine if the identified concepts had corresponding representation in one of these coding systems. Available codes were then evaluated for adequacy with respect to national guideline adherence measures put forth by the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Results. The concept domain model put forth by Campbell et al. (1997) worked well for organizing concepts and for providing a useful framework for data analysis. Using our method, 260 unique pathway concepts were identified, of which, 91.9% (239) are represented by one or more of the standardized coding systems. Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) and SNOMED CT alone represented 86.2% of the concepts. Seventy percent (70%) of the clinical pathway concepts are represented using the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandated national terminologies alone. Less than 50% of CMS and JCAHO guideline adherence concepts were found to have representation in the HIPAA mandated terminologies. The addition of Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC) and SNOMED CT improved representation up to 86.4%, but did not include representation of all concepts necessary for complete electronic monitoring of guideline adherence. Conclusions. Evolving national standardized terminologies provided matching terms for the majority of the data elements in the automated clinical pathway. Standard clinical terminologies with granular terms such as LOINC and SNOMED CT are required to represent the depth and detail of certain procedures and guideline-based care. Gaps exist in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandated terminologies for representing interdisciplinary concepts in national adherence measures.