ValueSets

A ValueSet in healthcare informatics, particularly in standards like FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), refers to a uniquely identifiable set of valid concept representations. This means it is a collection of codes or terms from one or more code systems, which can be used to specify the allowable values for an element in a healthcare resource. Each concept in the value sets can be tested to determine whether or not it is a member of the set. 

Infoway maintains ValueSets in partnership with Provincial, Territorial, and Federal e-Health agencies from across Canada working towards the successful implementation of National digital health solutions. These ValueSets are hosted on the Terminology server for jurisdictions and organizations to utilize. Further information related to ValueSet releases can be found in the “Learn more” section about ValueSets below. 

In Terminology Gateway, the term “Subset” is used to identify a set where all elements are also contained in another set. In other words, if you have a set A, a subset of A (denoted B) includes only elements that are also in A. These subsets include constrained lists of allowable values or terminology from the source code systems (i.e., SNOMED CT Canadian Edition, pCLOCD, UCUM, SCP, or HL7).

The terms “ValueSet” and “Subset” are used interchangeably. Subsets previously hosted on the Terminology Gateway are the same ValueSets now hosted on the FHIR Terminology Server.

Specific to SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms), a reference set (or refset) is a standardized format used to maintain and distribute a curated list of references to SNOMED CT components. 

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To access licensed international and national health information standards (e.g. SNOMED CT), simply login to your Infoway Account and reconfirm acceptance of the Terms of Use and License Agreements annually. Fees are only collected for access and use of HL7 International materials.

All SNOMED CT, LOINC and Infoway software tools are available at no cost to users with an active Infoway account. Information provided during Infoway Account registration may be used to respect our contractual commitments with licensors such as HL7 International and SNOMED International, or to request feedback on artifacts downloaded via Terminology Gateway or Terminology API. Email us to opt out from receiving feedback emails of terminology downloads from the maintaining organization.