NCPT and Electronic Health Records - FAQs
- How is the Nutrition Care Process Terminology used in an Electronic Health Record?
The Nutrition Care Process and Terminology Committee (NCPTC) and the Interoperability and Standards (ISC) Committee are working together to provide resources to incorporate the Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) in electronic health records (EHRs). Per Federal US Health and Human Services mandate, clinical terminologies in EHRs must be in SNOMED and LOINC. Organizational and developer subscriptions for the electronic NCPT (eNCPT) provide a downloadable spreadsheet that includes the currently published NCPT, SNOMED, and LOINC mappings.
Using the NCPT in EHRs supports safe, effective, efficient, person-centered, timely, and equitable nutrition care delivered in collaboration with providers, agencies, and communities. Robust updates of the NCPT result in clear documentation using structured EHRs with predefined NCPT data elements in place of unstructured or free‐text data in EHRs.
- I want to incorporate the Nutrition Care Process Terminology into my hospital/health care system’s electronic health records. What do I need to do?
To begin, purchase an Organization Subscription from the eNCPT website. This subscription will give you permission and access to the Nutrition Care Process Terminology Excel Spreadsheet for use in your hospital’s electronic health record (EHR).
- I’m developing a software product and would like to include the Nutrition Care Process Terminology. Do I need permission from the Academy?
Yes. The Academy holds the copyright for the Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) and the ADIME template (link to template). To use NCPT or ADIME in any software product that will be sold or distributed to others, you must purchase a Developer Subscription from the eNCPT website. This subscription will provide access to the NCPT Excel Spreadsheet and permission to include the terminology in a product for sale or distribution.
- My product will only include a few Nutrition Care Process terms. Do I need a Developer Subscription?
Contact us if you are unsure whether you need a Developer Subscription. Evaluate whether your proposed use of the terms falls within “fair use.” The U.S. Copyright Law, under Chapter One, Section 107, exempts limited use of copyrighted works, referred to as ”fair use” and such uses are allowable without a license. For more information on fair use and the copyright law, visit www.copyright.gov. Consulting with your legal advisor is also a good idea.
- What does the Academy provide to purchasers of an Organizational or Developer eNCPT subscription?
A downloadable Excel file is a part of the Organization or Developer eNCPT subscription and includes the following:
- A guide to the file explaining the attributes, their definitions, and notes
- Nutrition Care Process term with context
- For use in electronic health records (EHRs) because it contains the complete contextual information to distinguish it from other terms
- The Academy Unique identifier (ANDUID, a five digit number)
- Used by IT professionals for data monitoring and tracking in EHRs.
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) can use this number to request data needed for reports and quality improvement.
- The eNCPT published terminology in hierarchical format
- Explanation of the changes to the terms since the last edition
- External mappings of the Nutrition Care Process Terminology to SNOMED-CT and LOINC, standardized medical terminologies in use in the U.S. in EHRs
- If I need further information, who can I contact?