Coded Conversations

About Coded Conversations

In this inaugural episode of SNOMED International’s podcast Coded Conversations, we delve into the intricacies of interoperability, unpacking developments in this field and the challenges faced. Joining us are two leading experts: Dr. Charles Gutteridge, clinical advisor to SNOMED International and Chief Clinical Information Officer at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, and Rory Davidson, SNOMED International’s Chief Information Officer. Listen to learn why interoperability is so important to delivering better patient care across the globe and how it will be achieved.

Publisher

SNOMED International

Category

government · health & fitness · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Oct 2023

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   The uptake of the International Patient Summary: The role of the of the Global Digital Health Partnership

   The International Patient Summary (IPS) has evolved into a global digital health initiative, helping countries exchange essential health information across national, regional, and organizational boundaries. This new podcast explores what the IPS is, why it was developed, and how it is being used today, with global experts sharing the insights and experiences shaping this increasingly vital suite of digital health standards.

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Inside Australia’s 20-Year Interoperability Journey with SNOMED CT

   In this episode, host Kelly Kuru is joined by Peter O'Halloran, Chief Digital Officer at the Australian Digital Health Agency, which is hosting SNOMED CT Expo 2026 in Sydney, Australia, from October 21-23, 2026. Together, they discuss Australia's digital health ecosystem, the implementation maturity across acute and primary care sectors, and how foundational strategies such as the National Digital Health Strategy (2023–2028) drive shared commitment. Peter also shares insights on the role of SNOMED CT in ensuring patient safety, the success of Australia's Sparked FHIR accelerator, and what attendees can expect from the upcoming SNOMED CT Expo in Sydney.

3. 

   17 Aug 2026

   Impulsando SNOMED CT en el Mundo Hispano Parlante

   En este episodio, grabado para la audiencia hispanohablante de SNOMED International, Victor Medina, Terminólogo Senior y Líder de CSRM para América Latina, y Alejandro Lopez Osornio, Especialista Senior de Soporte a la Implementación en SNOMED International, se reúnen con las invitadas Rossana Occhiuzzi, Coordinadora de Interoperabilidad Semántica para Salud Digital, y Betania Arispe, Representante de Uruguay en el Foro de miembros de SNOMED lnternational. Ambas trabajan en el área de salud digital de Agesic, la Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento, y han estado liderando la adopción nacional de SNOMED CT desde 2014. Juntos, el panel analiza el recorrido de Uruguay como país pionero en interoperabilidad semántica en la región, así como los desafíos prácticos y técnicos de adoptar SNOMED CT en diversas instituciones de salud. La conversación también va más allá de Uruguay para observar a la comunidad hispanohablante y LatinoAmericana en general, incluyendo los esfuerzos de SNOMED International para fortalecer la colaboración regional, apoyar a países Miembros y no Miembros, compartir experiencias de implementación y proporcionar herramientas, capacitación y recursos.

4. 

   22 Jun 2026

   Measuring AI with SNOMED CT: Inside the Entity Linking Benchmark

   In this episode, Rory Davidson, Chief Digital Information Officer at SNOMED International, is joined by Will Hardman, Machine Learning and Data Science Specialist at Veritai, and Chris Kucharczyk, Lead Data Scientist at DrivenData, to discuss the launch of the SNOMED CT Entity Linking Benchmark. Together, they explore why SNOMED International developed the benchmark, how it builds on the earlier SNOMED CT Entity Linking Challenge, and why ongoing evaluation is essential in an era of rapidly evolving AI models. The discussion covers the complex process of building and annotating a clinically credible dataset, the challenges of measuring AI performance in healthcare, and the role the benchmark can play in helping health systems, vendors and developers better understand the strengths and limitations of their solutions.

5. 

   8 Dec 2025

   Introducing the SNOMED CT Implementation Maturity Framework

   This episodes explores the recently debuted Implementation Maturity Framework -- how it works, why it was developed and how it can enable SNOMED CT implementers to better assess the current state of their implementation and identify the steps needed to reach their future goals.

6. 

   8 Jul 2025

   Translating SNOMED CT: New tools, new technologies and the growing role of AI in the translation process

   In this episode, Kelly Kuru, Chief Collaborations & Communications Officer for SNOMED International, is joined by Ole Våge, chair of SNOMED’s Translation User Group and a terminologist at the Norwegian Health Directorate; Feikje Hielkema-Raadsveld, computational linguist at Nictiz, a Dutch knowledge organization for digital information provision in healthcare; and Kai Kewley, a technical specialist for SNOMED International's Implementation Support Team. These key participants discuss the need for accurate translations of SNOMED CT as more and more non-English speaking countries become Members, the complexities and logistics involved, and the different approaches taken by different countries. They also unpack how the SNOMED Translation User Group is advancing the translation of the terminology internationally, new and evolving tooling that SNOMED International has been developing, and how AI is being leveraged to support translation.

7. 

   4 Mar 2025

   The SNOMED CT and LOINC Interoperability Solution: A meaningful collaboration

   In this episode, Kelly Kuru, Chief Communications and Collaborations Officer at SNOMED International, and Marjorie Rallins, Executive Director of Health Data Standards at LOINC, discuss their organizations' collaboration in developing the LOINC Ontology, an extension of SNOMED CT for the LOINC terminology. They delve into the importance of this joint effort and highlight the history and ongoing efforts to integrate SNOMED CT and LOINC. The episode also covers the technical aspects, challenges, and successes of this collaboration, emphasizing the mutual benefits for those involved and the positive impact it is likely to have on the global healthcare community. Anyone interested in learning more about the ontology can attend a free webinar hosted by LOINC on March 25, 2025 from 09:30-11:30 EST /14:30-16:00 UTC. Webinar link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/82903013772

8. 

   22 May 2024

   SNOMED CT+ the Bahmni Coalition: Open-source electronic medical record makes digital health tech available in low-resource settings globally

   SNOMED CT + the Bahmni Coalition: Open-source electronic medical record makes digital health tech available in low-resource settings globally Episode 04: Show Notes The mission of SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/), the not-for-profit organization that owns, administers and develops SNOMED CT, the world’s most comprehensive clinical terminology, is to develop a global language for health -- uniting health systems from around the world and enabling them to communicate with and understand one another. As part of that goal, the organization also has a humanitarian mandate to develop tools and advance capabilities in digitally maturing countries with the goal of enabling more people around the globe to benefit from the use of SNOMED CT. To that end, in 2023 SNOMED International began a collaboration with the Bahmni Coalition (https://www.bahmni.org/bahmni-coalition), a group of organizations that have come together to steward the future of Bahmni, an open-source EMR specifically designed for use in low-resource healthcare settings. In 2024, SNOMED International official joined the Coalition. In this episode, SNOMED International Chief Communications and Collaborations Officer Kelly Kuru (https://www.snomed.org/our-team/kelly-kuru) is joined by Nick Egharos (mailto:neg@snomed.org), SNOMED International's Global Vendor Engagement Lead and Customer Relations Executive for the Middle East and Africa; and Satish Viswanathan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/satishkumarviswanathan/), Head of Social Change and Sustainability for Thoughtworks (https://www.thoughtworks.com/)India & Middle East, and a member of the governing committee of the Bahmni Coalition. They discuss how SNOMED CT has been integrated into the Bahmni EMR, and what this means for the low-resource countries where it is being used. Through the Coalition, the ecosystem using Bahmni has grown, leading to its adoption in more than 50 countries around the world. Tune in to hear about the evolution of this partnership and the plans for it going forward. Key points from this episode: The formation of the Bahmni Coalition and what it aims to do. How SNOMED got involved with Bahmni and the objectives that brought them together. The alignment of this partnership with SNOMED International’s humanitarian mandate. The phases of the project and what has already been achieved. An introduction to the Bahmni EMR and how it was built with open source. Insight into Bahmni’s use cases and global adoption. SNOMED’s ongoing role in the Bahmni Coalition. What it means for Bahmni to have SNOMED in its coalition. The input and feedback that the coalition is seeking to shape the future of Bahmni. Plans for the future of SNOMED and Bahmni’s continued work and areas of focus. Quotes: “By providing SNOMED for free in an open source EMR product, I think we're really trying to show that we're committed to the broad distribution of SNOMED globally, and super keen to find ways to distribute it in ways that allow us to maintain our ability to support SNOMED and yet give that broad access.” — Nick Egharos [0:05:48] “The credibility that having an organization like SNOMED as part of the Bahmni Coalition offers to countries and ministries of health worldwide can prove a real shot in the arm for adoption of open source technologies like Bahmni in digital healthcare settings worldwide.” — Satish Viswanathan [0:18:57] “We've already benefited from collaborating with the SNOMED team to enhance our understanding of terminology, but we also hope that with SNOMED’s deep clinical and terminology expertise, we'll also be able to get more feedback about the product itself and help shape the future of the product as we go forward.” — Satish Viswanathan [0:19:24] “In terms of additional enhancements, I think there's nothing but opportunity and there's a wide array of things we could do, but we want to make sure that as we move forward, we're building things that add value to the customers and to the Bahmni Coalition as a whole.” — Nick Egharos [0:22:51] Links mentioned in today’s episode: SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/) The Bahmni Coalition (https://www.bahmni.org/bahmni-coalition) Satish Viswanathan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/satishkumarviswanathan/) Kelly Kuru (https://www.snomed.org/our-team/kelly-kuru) Nick Egarhos (https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?fetchDeterministicClustersOnly=true&heroEntityKey=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAIrX6wBr28uQZHKW5rBlY6xDjiQwCj90ww&keywords=nick%20egarhos&origin=RICH_QUERY_TYPEAHEAD_HISTORY&position=0&searchId=257c0628-ff4b-43c6-8101-ca28f9d3cfdc&sid=ZqC&spellCorrectionEnabled=true) Bahmni + SNOMED CT (https://www.snomed.org/bahmni-snomed-ct) Bahmni roadmap consultation (https://talk.openmrs.org/t/need-your-inputs-for-bahmni-2024-roadmap/41552) Thoughtworks (https://www.thoughtworks.com/) Digital Public Goods Alliance (https://digitalpublicgoods.net/)

9. 

   1 Mar 2024

   Coded Conversations: The International Patient Summary

   The International Patient Summary (https://international-patient-summary.net/) (or IPS) is an accessible standardized minimum health dataset for patients’ health information. In this episode, we delve into what it is, how it works, and the potential benefits it holds for patients, healthcare providers, and entire healthcare systems. For this conversation, Kelly Kuru (https://www.snomed.org/our-team/kelly-kuru), Chief Communications and Collaborations Officer at SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/), is joined by two health information standards, business, and IPS subject matter experts: Robert Hausam (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hausam-a273aa7/) and Michael Nusbaum (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhnusbaum/). Both are active contributors to the IPS and its related governance. They also both serve as representative members of the Joint Initiative Council for Global Health Informatics Standardization (http://www.jointinitiativecouncil.org/) (JIC), an organization focused on furthering the important role that health information standards play in enabling interoperability. Rob and Mike shed light on the development of the IPS since its inception, the collaborative efforts behind the initiative, and the drivers shaping its development and use. You’ll learn about the type of information included in the IPS, real-world examples of how it can be used, the milestones attained to date, and the challenges to its widespread adoption. Tune in to gain valuable insights into this groundbreaking initiative and its potential to revolutionize healthcare information sharing globally. Key Points from This Episode: An introduction to our guests, Rob Hausam and Mike Nusbaum, and their roles in the IPS. What the International Patient Summary (IPS) is and why it was created. The required information and some of the other items that may be included in the IPS. Insight into the Joint Initiative Council for Global Health Informatics Standardization (JIC). Why the IPS has become a priority for healthcare. The role of the G7 and other entities that have highlighted the importance of the IPS. Specific examples of IPS use cases. The milestones that the IPS has already reached and the ones ahead. Challenges and obstacles to its widespread adoption. How to learn more about the IPS. Quotes: “TheInternational Patient Summary is a minimal and a non-exhaustive set of basic clinical data of a patient, especially agnostic and condition-independent, but it's intended to be readily usable by all clinicians for unscheduled cross-border patient care.” — @rhausam (https://twitter.com/rhausam)[0:04:45] “What [the JIC has] resulted in now is a number of standards that are designed to work together, developed by different organizations but designed to be fully synchronized, which is really helpful to those who want to implement and use the IPS in their day-to-day activities.” — @mhnusbaum (https://twitter.com/mhnusbaum) [0:07:25] “… in June 2021, when the G7, at their meeting in the UK, they actually issued a statement that declared the importance of collaboration and the use of the International Patient Summary very specifically.” — @mhnusbaum (https://twitter.com/mhnusbaum)[0:08:07] “Everybody seems to be rallying around the IPS and the importance of the IPS because it’s one of the very first things that have ever been developed in the digital health world that is truly and uniquely international.” — @mhnusbaum (https://twitter.com/mhnusbaum)[0:08:32] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Robert Hausam (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hausam-a273aa7/) Michael Nusbaum (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhnusbaum/) Kelly Kuru (https://www.snomed.org/our-team/kelly-kuru) SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/) International Patient Summary (https://international-patient-summary.net/) Joint Initiative Council for Global Health Informatics Standardization (http://www.jointinitiativecouncil.org/) G7 Health Ministers Declaration (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g7-health-ministers-meeting-june-2021-communique/g7-health-ministers-meeting-communique-oxford-4-june-2021#digital-health) Global Digital Health Partnership (https://gdhp.health/) HL7 International (https://www.hl7.org/)

10. 

    24 Jan 2024

    Coded Conversations: Entity Linking Challenge

    Coded Conversations: The Entity Linking Challenge Episode 02: Show Notes There are vast amounts of patient data captured in unstructured clinical data, making it challenging to analyze them and extract meaningful insights. However, by applying a standardized clinical terminology like SNOMED CT, healthcare organizations can convert this free-text data into a structured format that can be readily analyzed by computers, in turn stimulating the development of new medicines, treatment pathways and better patient outcomes. In this episode, SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/) Chief Digital Information Officer Rory Davidson is joined by Will Hardman, Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialist at UK-based AI consultancy Veratai (https://www.veratai.co.uk/), to discuss why SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/) has partnered with Veratai (https://www.veritedata.com/) and PhysioNet (https://physionet.org/), the research resource for complex physiologic signals that is managed by members of the MIT Laboratory for Computational Physiology (https://lcp.mit.edu/), to launch the Entity Linking Challenge (https://www.drivendata.org/competitions/258/competition-snomed-ct/). You’ll learn what entity linking involves and why the challenge was launched, as well as a few of the challenges the partners faced in designing the competition. Will explains some of the difficulties faced by annotators in dealing with codes that are ambiguous and predicts some of the exciting outcomes that the challenge is expected to produce. He also shares his predictions for the future of entity linking beyond the competition. Tune in to find out more about the Entity Linking Challenge, how you can get involved, and what winners stand to gain – including a share of the $25,000 prize pool! Key points from this episode: How the idea for the Entity Linking Challenge came about. The barriers to using available technology to extract valuable information from clinical data. What entity linking involves. Unexpected challenges participants may encounter in the building of entity linking models. The role of each of the partners in the competition. Three exciting outcomes from the Entity Linking Challenge that Will foresees. The challenge of finding a dataset and how the partners came to use MIMIC-IV (https://physionet.org/content/mimiciv/2.2/). How annotators deal with ambiguous codes. How participants can access the MIMIC-IV dataset and details on the training required. Will’s predictions for the future of entity linking beyond the competition. How to find out more about the competition. Quotes: “And really, the reason to do this Entity Linking Challenge was to show some of the things we talk about in SNOMED CT, about how do we use new technologies that fall under the AI banner and umbrella to benefit healthcare, improve healthcare data, and get SNOMED into the vast ocean of unstructured healthcare data records that are out there.” — Rory Davidson  [0:01:48] “The question is, ‘Can you actually use the computer to figure out where the mentions of specific well-defined clinical concepts are in this data and extract them automatically?’” — Will Hardman [0:03:18] “There's an awful lot of knowledge about health conditions and human health that's locked up in these records that's currently not available for analysis. So that's at the root of this [Entity Linking] challenge.” — Will Hardman [0:03:41] “I think the linking part is easier. I think it's the entity recognition part that's hard.” — Will Hardman [0:23:03] “And right now we're focusing on how do we get that structure into the data? Because once we've got that structure, that's when you can apply some of these technologies in even cooler things about the analytics and the clinical pathways and how do you improve patient healthcare and patient outcomes and that’s where we get into the really exciting stuff.” — Rory Davidson [0:23:56] Links mentioned in this episode: Will Hardman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-hardman-81898323/) Veratai (https://www.veratai.co.uk/) PhysioNet: MIMIC-IV (https://physionet.org/content/mimiciv/2.2/) DrivenData (http://drivendata.org) Blog post about entity linking 101 (Mentioned at 17:01) SNOMED CT Entity Linking Challenge (https://drivendata.co/blog.html) - Benchmark Rory Davidson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydavidson/) Rory Davidson on X (https://twitter.com/rd_work) SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/)

11. 

    20 Oct 2023

    Coded Conversations: Interoperability

    Interoperability: Developments and Challenges in the Pursuit of the Holy Grail of Digital Health Episode 01: Show Notes Achieving interoperability in digital health presents significant challenges, but the rewards are immense. In the inaugural episode of SNOMED International’s podcast Coded Conversations, we delve into the intricacies of interoperability, unpacking developments in this field and the challenges faced. Joining us are two leading experts: hematologist Dr. Charles Gutteridge,  clinical advisor to SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/), and Chief Clinical Information Officer at Barts Health NHS Trust in London; and Rory Davidson, SNOMED International’s Chief Information Officer. Kelly Kuru, Chief Communications Officer for SNOMED International, moderates this conversation. Tuning in you'll gain insights into what interoperability means in healthcare, the challenges inherent in achieving it, the vital role of a clinical terminology like SNOMED CT in enabling it, and where we currently stand in terms of its development. You’ll also hear about its benefits for medical professionals and patients, the global significance of comprehensible and shareable healthcare data, and the value of being able to use reliable medical data for research purposes. Join us in exploring the latest advancements moving the healthcare world closer to making interoperability a reality. Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to interoperability in healthcare. Challenges of achieving interoperability: the human factor. The technical side of interoperability and the importance of establishing standards. How the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the realization of interoperability. The role of clinical terminologies like SNOMED CT in enabling interoperability. What we are doing well in terms of achieving meaningful interoperability. The decision support built into this system. Some of the benefits of structured systems like this for patients. The value of interoperability in a world lacking sufficient healthcare resources and capacity. Parting comments about the importance of the global nature of interoperability for healthcare data. The value of being able to share data for research purposes. Quotes: “The technology will do what we want; it’s the human angle that’s the most important part of any discussion on interoperability.” — @rd_work [0:06:57] “Terminology brings unambiguity into the message [of interoperability]. It means that [the message] is completely understood; you’re not having to interpret somebody else’s pretext or handwriting or anything like that.” — @rd_work [0:18:08] “That magic bit of connecting data about people to research ideas that generate new knowledge is partly driven by making sure the data is interoperable.” — @GutteridgeC (https://twitter.com/GutteridgeC) [0:27:06] “Making it possible to share [data] for research purposes is one of the things that drives modern healthcare systems.” — @GutteridgeC (https://twitter.com/GutteridgeC) [0:27:23] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Dr. Charles Gutteridge on X (https://twitter.com/GutteridgeC) Rory Davidson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydavidson/overlay/about-this-profile/) Rory Davidson on X (https://twitter.com/rd_work) Kelly Kuru on X (@kellykuru) Kelly Kuru (kku@snomed.org) SNOMED International (https://www.snomed.org/)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

31

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

27

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.