Req to Add concept of Social Assistance Worker to HealthcareProviderRoleType

Thank you.
Sisira (NLCHI).

Dear Sisira,

The Social Assistance Worker concept has been added to HealthcareProviderRoleType and published on Terminology Gateway. You may access the subset through this link tgateway.infoway-inforoute.ca/html/singlesubset.html?id=2.16.840.1.113883.2.20.3.48.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards.
Salve Achacoso
Standards SME

Hi Lorie,

We haven't had any requests from the regions for "Social Services Worker" yet (NL has not needed that code). But it is possible that we may need "Social Services Worker" in near future.

Users prefer alpah codes as alpha codes can be easily searched in the source system (easier to remember) The character limit is 10.
For example: OT - Occupational Therapist; OTA - Occupational Therapist Assistant.

Better, if you could change the "Social Services Worker" numeric code to alpha code when you add "Social Assistance Worker" to the subset.

Thanks,
Sisira (NLCHI).

Thanks Sisira for the response, I would like to continue to use this forum rather than the InfoRMS ticket in case others are impacted by our direction. Does the NL response mean NL has not been able to implement the code for Social Service Worker with the numeric identifier or does it simply imply that NL has not needed that code? If the numeric ID is impeding NL from implementing, we could also make a change to that code at the same time as we add the code NL has requested.

Thanks for your clarification!

Cheers,

Lorie

Hi Lorie,

Thought we would give more information on the importance of a unique code for Social Assistance Worker and how it will be used in our EHR.
NL EHR is a role based application so a user access to clinical information and functions in NL EHR (HEALTHeNL- Clinical Portal) is based on their role. Therefore, a unique code will give the Social Assistance Worker a correct level of access to HEALTHeNL.

"Social Services Worker" is too generic so we would like a unique code for Social Assistance Worker.

"HealthCareProviderRoleType" codes that we have implemented are alpha (non numeric).

Thanks,
Sisira (NLCHI).

Thanks Sisira,

We are reviewing the request and hope to have the updated subset published at the end of July. In our review of the current subset, we have noted that all codes are alpha with the exception of the code for 'Social Services Worker', which has a numeric code of '5300011'. We wondered if this numeric code was an issue for anyone? We also specifically wondered if this code was too generic for the request that NL currently has for a new code?

I know that the Social Services Worker code has been included in this value set since approximately 2013 (MR2.05), but I am not certain of where the original request came from or why the code was numeric instead of alpha.

If the numeric code is an issue for anyone, we would like to know prior to updating the subset.

Thanks for the feedback!

Lorie