Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
HISO requires the use of SNOMED CT as the standard clinical terminology used across the health and disability system in New Zealand
SNOMED CT is the comprehensive multilingual clinical terminology used around the world. Internationally, SNOMED CT is a key standard for interoperability in health care and we require its use in New Zealand by all health providers and their industry partners.
When implemented in software applications, SNOMED CT enables the capture and reuse of clinical information on a consistent and reliable basis, enabling this information to be stored and shared without ambiguity.
SNOMED adoption is key to our interoperability roadmap as we accelerate the shift to a fully interoperable digital health ecosystem.
See the SNOMED CT five-step briefing for an introduction to what SNOMED CT is, how it works and the benefits to users.
SNOMED International – a not-for-profit agency based in London – owns, develops and promotes the use of SNOMED CT worldwide. New Zealand is a charter member of SNOMED International and our annual membership fee covers unlimited use of SNOMED CT in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Health represents the New Zealand Government as a member of SNOMED International, operates the SNOMED National Release Centre and distributes the SNOMED New Zealand Edition to registered users.
SNOMED International’s latest annual report looks back over five years of improvements to SNOMED CT product and services, and points the way forward under the 2020-25 strategy.
In 2021, we introduced a SNOMED CT terminology service as a free public good to New Zealand health providers and their software industry partners. The terminology service is available via a standard application programming interface (API) for use by clinical information systems and consumer health platforms.
