Teleconference 2019-10-15

 Quorum

Minutes Approval

Quorum is met.

Motion to accept proposed 

WGs can have a list serve for the community (open and public termauth@lists.hl7.org) and then there is a co-chair list wgname-cc.  For HTA members only, we can use this -cc mechanism - termauth-cc@lists.hl7.org – members only.

We will update our Confluence page about this.  

Note: RB has only received an update for the open list - Davera only the closed one. (Julie will check with Dave)

There is a document started with the framework Initial Code System Request Letter

Members are welcome to start adding text to this for each paragraph, especially the paragraph about 'Brief description of the FHIR requirement for a URL'

NB: Julie to update template for code system information

"...require use of terminologies and vocabularies that are owned by non-HL7 entities (known as "external code systems"). Appropriate use of these is likely to be subject to intellectual property usage policies and may be protected under copyright law. "

Roel: has checked - there is nothing explicit.  Suggest we take the X12 wording and put something similar at the top of the External Terminologies - Information page in a "black box" and also draft a short statement to put in the Policies page

Julie will work on a draft of wording for a generic statement for the External Terminologies page as a sort of black box warning and circulate on the list.  Carol has got content from US IGs; the FHIR spec probably has something for SNOMED.

Update from German enquiry to ISO [Sylvie]  

Patricia Cook from ISO Central Secretariat (responsible for 3166): "You don’t need any permission to include the ISO 3166 country codes in lists or software, this is fine."

Communicate this back to FHIR community via the Zulip chat and possibly more widely.  Sylvie will also communicate this through IHIC.  Also add to the HTA External Terminologies page (Roel)

Could also ask about 639X the Language codes (spoken/written).  Action: Julie will ask ISO about this too.

Carol and Reuben gave an update 

https://www.hl7.org/fhir/namingsystem.html  Naming System resource : It identifies the existence of a code or identifier system, and its possible and preferred identifiers.  This resource is frequently defined by third parties that encounter the code system in use, and need to describe the use, but do not have the authority to define the features and content. Additionally, there may be multiple authoritative NamingSystem resources for a code system, but there should only be one CodeSystem resource.

The maturity level is still low (2) and the UTG project is implementing it.  It's a risk to be implementing at so low a level.  Missing a title element (TK should be adding Tracker for this).  

Fluidity for "canonical URLs" - more than one for a single code system (in different IGs) so possibility to use a "Linkage" resource http://build.fhir.org/linkage.html which would essentially asserts that two Naming Resources are the same and representing a single code system and both URLs are in use.  The Linkage resource is still very new though.  

Carol notes that there is an extension on Naming System which describes a "replacement" so that could be used to manage the duplicates, IF a new URL replaces the old one.

GG suggested a Connecthon focused on Terminology/Naming System but timing for this may be an issue because UTG needs to be using something very soon, which will likely be Naming System.

It sort of feels like there are two ways to formally identify a code system in FHIR (the Code System resource and the Naming System resource), especially if the Code System resource just contains code system metadata rather than content.  But the fundamental use case for Naming System is to be able to convert between different identifier forms (e.g. OIDs and URLs).  It feels as if at least currently Naming System is aimed at organisations providing terminology services rather than general FHIR implementers.  Suggest there needs to be good guidance and examples for the use of Code System versus Naming System (possibly NZ example). Vocabulary WG

CDA doc referencing a URL or OID, could query a registry of Naming Systems to find out the entity being referenced.