Vocabulary
PHIN Vocabulary
PHIN Vocabulary Standards is a key component in supporting the development and deployment of standards-based
public health information systems. PHIN Vocabulary Services seeks to promote the use of standards-based
vocabulary within PHIN systems and foster the use and exchange of consistent information among public health
partners. The use of PHIN Vocabulary Standards ensures that vocabularies are aligned with PHIN standards and
with appropriate industry and Consolidated Health Informatics Initiative (CHI) vocabulary standards. These
standards are supported by the PHIN Vocabulary Access and Distribution System (VADS) for accessing, searching,
and distributing standards-based vocabularies used within PHIN to local, state and national PHIN partners.
It promotes the use of standards-based vocabulary within PHIN systems to support the exchange of consistent
information among Public Health Partners.
PHIN Vocabulary Services strives to enable the consistent and accurate representation of information by
encouraging and supporting the use of Vocabulary Standards to promote semantic interoperability among public
health systems. Working with Standard Development Organization (SDOs) terminology experts and other subject
matter experts, PHIN Services actively participates in the development and identification of vocabularies
important to the public health arena. SDOs include Systemactic Nomenclature for Medicine (SNOMED), Logical
Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), Health Level 7 (HL7), Consolidated Health Informatics
Initiative (CHI), Health Information Technology Initiative (HITSP) and American Health Information Community
(AHIC).
PHIN Vocabulary Access and Distribution System (PHIN VADS)
PHIN VADS is a web-based enterprise vocabulary system for accessing, searching, and distributing vocabularies
used within the PHIN. To learn more and
access the PHIN VADS system, visit the
PHIN VADS web page
PHIN OID Registry
PHIN uses Object Identifiers (OIDs) as its unique identifiers for namespaces, enabling HL7-compliant messaging
and precise data storage. The PHIN OID Registry enables the viewing, searching, and creation of OIDs used within
PHIN.
Public Health Vocabulary Community of Practice (PHVCoP)
The Public Health Vocabulary Community of Practice facilitates dialogue and problem solving around
vocabulary development, usage, and distribution within public health. Because of increasing requirements
for standards adoption and interoperable systems, a CoP devoted to vocabulary standards adoption and
vocabulary best practices promotion among CDC Programs and Partners is timely. PHVCoP members gather to
share ideas, work collaboratively, and find solutions.
PHVCoP members come from state and local health departments, from federal agencies, and from anywhere
people in public health work with vocabulary and interoperability standards. We are epidemiologists,
informaticists, laboratorians,program managers, analysts, application developers, and others who work with
vocabulary.
The PHVCoP meets monthly with presentations by our members and by guests. If you are in the Atlanta area,
you are invited to attend in person, but many of our members attend via webinar. In addition, the PHVCoP
maintains a web-based discussion forum and document archive. If you’d like to find out more, join us for a
meeting, or be added to our community space, please contact us at
PHVCoP@cdc.gov.