What LOINC does

LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) is a universal terminology standard for identifying health measurements, observations, laboratory tests, clinical documents, and surveys. Created in 1994 and maintained by the Health Data Standards unit of Regenstrief Institute, Inc. — a not-for-profit research organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana — LOINC currently contains 109,325 coded concepts organized across Laboratory (66,861), Clinical (28,635), Attachments (1,161), and Survey (12,668) domains. Each code is structured along six axes: Component, Property, Time Aspect, System, Scale, and Method. The standard is complemented by RELMA (Windows-based mapping assistant), SearchLOINC (browser-based search application), the FHIR Terminology Server (HL7 FHIR-compliant API), LHC-Forms (open-source form generation toolkit), and the Community Mapping Repository. In March 2025, LOINC and SNOMED International jointly released the LOINC Ontology v1.0, mapping 35,000+ laboratory concepts representing at least 80% of test volume into SNOMED CT's ontological framework.

LOINC serves reference laboratories, hospitals and clinics, federal agencies (CMS, CDC, FDA), insurance companies, EHR and health IT vendors, medical device manufacturers, researchers, and consumers across 170+ countries with content translated into 19+ language variants. The standard is mandated by HIPAA, CMS post-acute care assessment programs (IRF-PAI, LCDS, OASIS, MDS, HOPE), and federal healthcare IT certification requirements. The organization distributes semiannual releases (February and August), with version 2.82 released February 2026.

The business model is freemium / non-commercial: LOINC and all associated tools are provided at no cost to users, supported by Regenstrief Institute and Regenstrief Foundation funding. Adoption is driven by regulatory mandate, community participation, conference engagement, and native EHR integration rather than commercial sales. There are no pricing tiers, subscriptions, or licensing fees. The GTM motion is community-led and API-first, with self-serve registration, free FHIR API access, and demand-pull from health IT vendors requiring LOINC compliance for federal certification.

Name

LOINC

Legal name

Regenstrief Institute, Inc.

Website

https://loinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

LOINC is a free, non-profit international terminology standard for identifying health measurements, observations, and documents, containing 109,325 codes. Maintained by Regenstrief Institute, it is mandated by HIPAA and CMS and used by reference labs, providers, government agencies, EHR vendors, and researchers across 170+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Terminology Standards

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminology Services & Semantic Interoperability (SNOMED/LOINC/RxNorm mapping) (HLACABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interoperability Standards, Profiles & Implementation (HL7/FHIR/IHE) (HLACABAA), Healthcare Terminology, Ontology & Code Set Management (SNOMED/LOINC/ICD/RxNorm) (HLACAIAF), EHR/EMR Integration & Interoperability Middleware (HL7/FHIR) (HLALAKAD)

Keywords

• Health terminology standards
• Clinical observation codes
• Laboratory test identifiers
• Health data interoperability
• Medical vocabulary standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Free Terminology Access: LOINC and RELMA are provided at no cost to all users. The database is freely available for download and use, supported by funding from Regenstrief Institute and the Regenstrief Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LOINC is a universal terminology code system containing 109,325 standardized concepts for identifying health measurements, observations, laboratory tests, clinical documents, and surveys. Distributed as a freely downloadable relational database with companion tools (RELMA mapping assistant, SearchLOINC web app, FHIR Terminology Server API, LOINC Ontology, LHC-Forms), it enables semantic interoperability across EHRs, lab systems, public health reporting, and medical devices globally. The database is updated twice a year (February and August) and translated into 19+ languages through a volunteer translation network.

Product overview

LOINC is a terminology standards organization providing the LOINC database as its core product - an international standard containing 109,325 codes for identifying health measurements, observations, and documents across laboratory, clinical, document, and survey domains. The product portfolio includes supporting tools: RELMA (Windows-based mapping assistant) for local code mapping, SearchLOINC (web browser search application), the LOINC Ontology (SNOMED CT interoperability solution), FHIR Terminology Server (HL7 FHIR API access), LHC-Forms (open-source form generation toolkit), and the Community Mapping Repository. LOINC releases updates semiannually (February and August) and maintains collaborative relationships with SNOMED International, HL7, and CMS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SearchLOINC: Web-based application for searching the LOINC database
• RELMA
• LOINC Ontology
• LHC-Forms

Products and services

• LOINC Database The international standard terminology database for identifying health measurements, observations, and documents, containing 109,325 coded concepts across laboratory, clinical, document, and survey domains used by reference labs, healthcare providers, government agencies, insurance companies, software/device manufacturers, and researchers globally.
• RELMA (Regenstrief LOINC Mapping Assistant) Windows-based desktop mapping utility for searching the LOINC database and mapping local laboratory and clinical codes to LOINC codes. Version 7.15 supports local term importing, hierarchy viewing, access to the community mapping repository, and new LOINC code requests.
• SearchLOINC Browser-based web application for searching the LOINC database, including concepts, Parts, Answer Lists, and Groups, offering multilingual searching, sophisticated search syntax, customizable display, filtering, and CSV/FHIR ValueSet export.
• LOINC Ontology A LOINC and SNOMED CT interoperability solution developed jointly with SNOMED International, creating SNOMED CT and LOINC codes for shared concepts using SNOMED CT's ontological framework.
• FHIR Terminology Server HL7 FHIR-compliant terminology server providing programmatic API access to LOINC content, supporting CodeSystem lookup and Questionnaire definitions for HIPAA-compliant data exchange and structured interoperability for EHR systems and health IT workflows.
• LHC-Forms Open-source toolkit for generating forms that display, enter, and edit data using LOINC codes, enabling implementation of LOINC-based standardized data entry.
• LOINC Panels and Forms Collection of standardized assessment instruments coded in LOINC, including CMS Post Acute Care assessments (HOPE, IRF-PAI, OASIS, MDS, LCDS), PhenX measures, and clinical survey instruments.
• Community Mapping Repository Database of community-contributed local-code-to-LOINC mappings, allowing users to examine shared mappings and contribute their own mappings after meeting minimum requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Used by healthcare organizations in every US state and over 170 countries worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• SNOMED InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2025Collaboration to create the LOINC Ontology - a joint interoperability solution that represents LOINC terms within SNOMED CT's ontological framework. Version 1.0 released March 2025 includes 35,000+ laboratory concepts (80%+ test volume). Both organizations coordinate terminology releases and align standards development.
• Regenstrief InstitutecoreOthersRegenstrief Institute, Inc. develops and maintains LOINC through its Health Data Standards (HDS) unit. Regenstrief owns the trademark rights and copyright to LOINC, provides staffing for the LOINC Committee, and coordinates releases and community engagement.
• HL7 (Health Level Seven International)coreTechnology or IntegrationDeep integration of LOINC with HL7 FHIR standards, C-CDA documents, and HL7 V2.X messaging. LOINC codes are required in FHIR resources and HL7 messages for clinical data exchange.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOngoing standardization maintenance for CMS Post Acute Care programs including IRF-PAI, LTCH LCDS, OASIS, MDS, and HOPE assessment instruments. CMS mandates LOINC codes for standardized data collection across PAC settings.
• HL7 Gravity ProjectstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to standardize health related social needs (SDOH) information using LOINC codes. Includes screening tools for food security, housing stability, transportation, intimate partner violence, and other social risk factors.
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)strategicTechnology or IntegrationJoint work on LIVD (LOINC In Vitro Diagnostics) file for mapping FDA EUA-authorized COVID-19 tests to LOINC codes. CDC maintains the LIVD file updated jointly with FDA, APHL, and Regenstrief.
• FDA (Food and Drug Administration)strategicTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on LIVD file for FDA-approved testing cartridges and Structured Product Labeling (SPL) codes. FDA support includes new concepts for regulatory compliance and device identification.
• APHL (Association of Public Health Laboratories)strategicTechnology or IntegrationPartner in LIVD file maintenance for COVID-19 testing codes and broader public health laboratory standardization efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SNOMED International: Maintains SNOMED CT, the leading clinical healthcare terminology standard. SNOMED International is a direct peer to LOINC and an active co-development partner on the LOINC Ontology, with overlapping scope across clinical concept representation.
• American Medical Association (AMA) — CPT: Maintains CPT (Current Procedural Terminology), the dominant US standard for medical procedures and services. CPT is a direct peer to LOINC in healthcare coding, though its focus is procedures and billing rather than observations and measurements.
• National Library of Medicine (NLM) — RxNorm / UMLS: Curator of RxNorm (medication terminology) and the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), which integrates LOINC alongside SNOMED CT, ICD, and others. NLM is a direct peer in maintaining federally sponsored health terminology standards in the US.
• Regenstrief Institute (UCUM): Also develops UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure), a complementary terminology standard for units used in clinical measurements. Regenstrief is the parent organization of LOINC and a direct peer in adjacent healthcare terminology development.
• World Health Organization (WHO) — ICD: Maintains the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the global standard for diagnosis and health condition coding. WHO is a direct peer to LOINC as a co-existing international terminology standard widely mandated for interoperability and reporting.

Broad incumbents

• Epic Systems: Largest US EHR vendor and a deep consumer/embedder of LOINC codes for observations, labs, and clinical documentation. Epic is a broad incumbent peer whose platform-level adoption materially shapes LOINC's real-world reach.
• HL7 International: Standards body for HL7 V2, C-CDA, and FHIR — the interoperability frameworks in which LOINC codes are embedded. HL7 is a broad incumbent peer, providing the transport and structure layer that LOINC terminology operates within.
• Oracle Health (formerly Cerner): Second major US EHR platform, natively integrating LOINC for lab, clinical, and public health data exchange. Oracle Health is a broad incumbent peer — a downstream platform rather than a competing terminology standard.

Emerging players

• DICOM Standards Committee: Maintains the DICOM standard for medical imaging interoperability. DICOM is an emerging-player peer in adjacent healthcare interoperability, partially overlapping LOINC where imaging observations need coded representation.

Regional players

• Health Level Seven Europe / IHE International: Implementation profiles and interoperability initiatives (e.g., IHE) that complement HL7 and LOINC across regions. IHE is a regional/standards-profile peer shaping how LOINC is operationalized in real-world deployments outside the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LINC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfhOOuCgajr0-H_MGtIHkCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/loinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LOINC