Accurx applies SNOMED Codes to SMS Messages, Questionnaires and Accumail to ensure the safe and accurate exchange of information between clinical IT systems.

If you become aware that a SNOMED code has been recently depreciated or there is a new code with clinical importance to all our users, please contact our support team via live chat in the bottom-right corner. We will look to get this resolved as soon as possible. 😊

In line with recent changes, we have updated several SNOMED codes across our platform.

Change of codes used in BP Florey Questionnaires

The Accurx single Blood Pressure reading questionnaire is designed to support practices collecting readings from their patients. We try to assign clinically accurate codes to save to the record that are consistent and compatible across the electronic medical records we integrate with, and that are valid for QOF. We heard from our users that the blood pressure codes we were saving into EMIS were not being pulled into reporting for QOF. These were:

Blood pressure recorded by patient at home 413153004

Systolic arterial pressure 72313002

Diastolic arterial pressure 1091811000000102

We liaised with the team at EMIS to help rectify this, and so as of 8th February 2024, we updated the codes that will save alongside single blood pressure readings in EMIS to:

Blood pressure recorded by patient at home 413153004

Self reported systolic blood pressure (observable entity) 1162737008

Self reported diastolic blood pressure (observable entity) 1162735000

We are also working to implement these codes in SystmOne, where they have recently become supported. This allows us to keep coding consistent across the medical records we integrate with.

What about patients that have already been coded?

EMIS have confirmed that they have released searches for practices to use to identify and replace the previous codes, and are planning to run an automated script to update the codes for this QOF year for practices with any of impacted readings. EMIS have started sending communications out to practices to this effect. Any of the associated codes above that have been manually updated already, will not be impacted by the automated update. EMIS are planning to do this before the end of the QOF year.

Thank you to those reporting this and bearing with us while we worked with EMIS on the next steps. We hope that the change of codes moving forward, and tools to help manage historical coding, will help you manage QOF this year. Please do reach out to our support team via live chat or support@accurx.com if you have any questions.

Our BP Florey Questionnaires are designed to capture BP readings and support patients in providing a single reading (which was widely used to replace the clinic reading during the pandemic), or multiple readings over 4 or 7 days with an average, to support Home Blood pressure monitoring (HBPM). Rather than having the blood pressure return as free text, we chose to save SNOMED codes valid for QOF out of the options available, which were also supported across all medical records we integrate with.

On the 8th of February, we updated the SNOMED codes for BP readings to enable these results to be accurately pulled for QOF reporting in EMIS and SystmOne. The codes that we now use to save single BP readings to the record are:

This change was made in response to a number of organisations raising concerns that the BP readings submitted via Accurx Florey questionnaires from 01/04/2023 to 08/02/2024 did not contribute to QOF. Although the SNOMED codes we used were QOF compliant, they were not being accurately picked up for QOF reporting within EMIS medical systems. The changes made are outlined in the table below: 👇

All BP readings that are saved to the record from the 8th of February will be picked up for QOF reporting in EMIS. We are now working with EMIS to update their reporting process to identify BP readings saved under the old SNOMED codes (72313002, 1091811000000102) and include these eligible readings in QOF reports. We will provide updates to those EMIS practices involved when this is complete.

Blood Pressure codes and QOF

Our BP Florey Questionnaires are designed to capture BP readings and support patients in providing a single reading (which was widely used to replace the clinic reading during the pandemic), or multiple readings over 4 or 7 days with an average, to support Home Blood pressure monitoring (HBPM). Rather than having the blood pressure return as free text, we chose to save SNOMED codes valid for QOF out of the options available, which were also supported across all medical records we integrate with.

These current SNOMED codes for our single blood pressure reading questionnaires are shown below:

These SNOMED codes, whilst being picked up in QOF reports within SystmOne, were not being picked up in the reporting for QOF by EMIS. In trying to keep our SNOMED codes consistent and still reflective of the data being saved, we’ve decided to replace our codes with the following:

These codes are currently not available in SystmOne, although we have reached out to TPP and they are in the process of getting them added.

In the interim, we are going to update these codes for EMIS practices. For S1 practices we will use the CTV3 codes below until the newer and more appropriate SNOMED codes are added by TPP and made available. Whilst we wanted to keep the way our product integrates and the codes saved in the different medical records as consistent as possible, we appreciate that the end of the QOF year is approaching, and so are planning to make this change by the 12th of February.

Once TPP have made 1162737008 and 1162735000 available on their platform, we will replace the CTV3 mapping to these SNOMED codes.

On 31st August 2023, Accurx updated SNOMED codes associated with Flu invitation SMS Templates and some Florey questionnaires. The changes are listed below:

SystmOne Users: Please note that TPP/SystmOne does not currently support all of the new Flu SNOMED Codes. We have brought this to their attention to be corrected. In the meantime, TPP/SystmOne users will still be able to use the older Flu codes.

EMIS Users: If you receive the message "Awaiting clinical code migration to EMIS web” please make sure to update your EMIS to the newest version.

For more information, you can also search for SNOMED codes by using the CT Browser here: https://termbrowser.nhs.uk/?

We use SNOMED codes in line with NHS Digital guidance:
​https://digital.nhs.uk/services/terminology-and-classifications/snomed-ct
​

​If you still have any questions or concerns, feel free to chat with us using the green message bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of this page. 👉