2025 Early Visibility Release Notifications

2025 Early Visibility Release Notifications

 

PLEASE SEE 2026 EARLY VISIBILITY

2026 Early Visibility Release Notifications

PLEASE SEE 2026 EARLY VISIBILITY

2026 Early Visibility Release Notifications

This page provides information on planned changes to upcoming SNOMED International Release packages in three sections:

  1. EARLY VISIBILITY OF PROPOSED CONTENT CHANGES (with provisional release date)

  2. EARLY VISIBILITY OF PUBLISHED CHANGES (with confirmed release date)

  3. INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECTS AND WORK IN PROGRESS 

Please submit any feedback relating to the items below to info@snomed.org

PLEASE NOTE, YOU MAY HAVE TO REGISTER FOR A CONFLUENCE USER ACCOUNT IN ORDER TO ACCESS THE LINKS TO DOCUMENTS REFERENCED BELOW.

PLEASE NOTE, YOU MAY HAVE TO REGISTER FOR A CONFLUENCE USER ACCOUNT IN ORDER TO ACCESS THE LINKS TO DOCUMENTS REFERENCED BELOW.

2025 Proposed Content Changes

Items

Hierarchy/Topic

EARLY VISIBILITY OF PROPOSED CONTENT CHANGES

Planned Release timing

(*this is provisional only and is subject to change)

Items

Hierarchy/Topic

EARLY VISIBILITY OF PROPOSED CONTENT CHANGES

Planned Release timing

(*this is provisional only and is subject to change)

1.

Content Improvement

Updates to the Inactivation Reason and Historical Association for 'On Examination' and 'Complaining of' Inactive Content

Many of the 'on examination' and 'complaining of' concepts were previously inactivated with the inactivation reason of |Moved elsewhere| with a historical association value |Extension Namespace 1000000|.

This content will be updated with an inactivation reason of |Non-conformance to editorial policy| and a historical association of |Alternative| to a suitable international concept. 

Q1 2026 International Release

2.

Clinical Finding

Inactivation of Complication Disorder Concepts (371 concepts)

The inactivation of concepts that reference “complication” without specifying the nature of the complication is planned. 

The primitive “Complication (disorder)” grouper was inactivated in 2022 due to a lack of consistency or definition of what would properly be assigned as a subtype.

The concepts will be inactivated with inactivation reason “Classification derived concept” and replacement by the parent concept. 

Access to briefing note is available on request info@snomed.org

Beginning June 2024 International Release and then subsequent releases until complete

3.

Procedure

Review 1263452006 |Anesthesia and/or sedation procedure (procedure)|

A review of the 1263452006 |Anesthesia and/or sedation procedure (procedure)| hierarchy is in progress, the focus is on:

  • Inactivation of Classification derived components.

  • Review of the current model and possible addition of 363703001 |Has intent (attribute)| to the model.

  • Review of current classification of groupers.

Content review - publication date to be determined

4.

Procedure

Review 48537004 |Bypass graft (procedure)| 

A review of the 48537004 |Bypass graft (procedure)| hierarchy is in progress, the focus is on:

  • Improving consistency of descriptions.

  • Improving definitions for different types of concepts in the hierarchy (bypass vs shunt)

  • Correct use of the term “graft” within the descriptions.

  • Correct modeling of 260686004 |Method (attribute)| in the hierarchy.

  • Review of the need for 360021005 |Bypass - action (qualifier value)| and 424208002 |Shunt - action (qualifier value)|in the model and testing of 245854003 |Proximal anastomosis (qualifier value)| and 245855002 |Distal anastomosis (qualifier value)| as new 260686004 |Method (attribute)| values in the hierarchy.

  • Review for a consistent and appropriate usage of 425362007 |Surgical insertion - action (qualifier value)|and 129407005 |Grafting - action (qualifier value) in the model.

  • Review for re-classification of 129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value)| as a direct subtype of 129284003 |Surgical action (qualifier value)|.

  • Given the complexity of some concepts in the hierarchy, potential duplicate, erroneous, or outdated concepts will be identified.

Q2 2026 International Release

5.

MRCM Change

Update to Procedure Content

MRCM change to Surgical approach (attribute) - PLEASE SEE UPDATED TIMESCALES BELOW

This change will be implemented in 4 phases:

  • Phase 1: Move 116688005 |Procedure approach (attribute)| from the 408739003 |Unapproved attribute (attribute)| hierarchy to the 762705008 |Concept model object attribute (attribute)|. Add and test new MRCM rules for procedure approach. Make 424876005 |Surgical approach (attribute)| a subtype of 116688005 |Procedure approach (attribute)|. Published February 2025 release.

  • Phase 2: Identify and address Surgical procedures currently modeled with 424876005 |Surgical approach (attribute)| and batch change to model using 116688005 |Procedure approach (attribute)|. Planned release time: April 2025. Published April 2025 release.

  • Phase 3: Inactivation of surgical approach attribute and changes to MRCM rules. Planned release time: Q2 2025. Published June 2025 release.

  • Phase 4: Identify and address procedures that could be modeled by 116688005 |Procedure approach (attribute)|

Phase 1 - February 2025 International Release - COMPLETE

Phase 2 - April 2025 International Release - COMPLETE

Phase 3 - Q2 2025 International Release - COMPLETE

Phase 4 - Q1 2026 International Release

6.

Descriptions Update

Forward slash in FSN

A review has commenced of those concepts with a forward slash in their FSN.  Editorial guidance exists disallowing the use of forward slashes in FSNs, and we have commenced a systematic review of those existing terms containing them.

Many areas are excluded for example, medicinal products where strength /1 is the denominator, assessment scales, explicit "and/or", gene names, enzyme and other substance naming, organisms, ratios, per in units (or future consideration), intervertebral structures, content added with an Orphanet map and others. The review is ongoing.

If the meaning is clear i.e. single meaning there is no change but groupers, disjoint ('or)' terming and ambiguous terms will be reviewed and possibly inactivated or have a new replacement FSN without a forward slash. Subject matter experts are being consulted as part of this work.

2025 International Release

7.

Procedure

Review of 129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value)|

129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value)| is a subtype of 257903006 |Repair - action (qualifier value) and sibling of 129377008 |Reconstruction - action (qualifier value)|.

Because some concepts modeled with 129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value)| as target value concept for 260686004 |Method (attribute)| may not be considered a reparative procedure, a review of the 129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value) and 410614008 |Construction (procedure)| hierarchies is being undertaken.

Expected outcomes may be the classification of 129376004 |Construction - action (qualifier value)| directly under 129284003 |Surgical action (qualifier value)| and the creation of new actions that better define the differences between reparative and construction procedures.

Q2 2026 International Release

8.

Association Relationships File

Additional Relationships

The new "additional relationships" take the same form as the inferred relationships and can be stored in the same format in the RF2 package. Modeling Advisory Group (MAG) recommends that extensions can use the existing relationship files or create new relationship files for them. By default, there is a single file for each component (1 concept file, 1 relationships file, 1 simple refset file, etc.). Edition and extension publishers can decide to split the content of any of those files for business reasons while following the naming convention. The new attributes should be placed under 1295449009 |Additional relationship attribute (attribute)|. The concept 900000000000227009 |Additional relationship (core metadata concept)| should be assigned to characteristicTypeId in the relationship files.

To be determined - 2026 International Release

9.

Description Update

Inactivation and Replacement of Concepts Using "Arm" and "Leg" in the FSN 

Concepts that use "arm" or "leg" without qualification are ambiguous, as the anatomical site may be misinterpreted. 

Work has commenced on updating Disorder content. Following this, Finding and Procedure content will be managed as resourcing permits. 

2025 International Releases

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