EMIS Partner API - FileRecord call - creating SNOMED codes

open forum
1

Hello,

I’m integrating our product with the EMIS Web Partner API, but I’ve hit a roadblock with getting our FileRecord call working.
Currently the consultation data goes through, where codes are sent as <ConsultationElement> instances. The problem however is that EMIS Web discards the SNOMED-CT concept ID I supply for the code, structured as follows:

<ConsultationElement>
	<RefID>2</RefID>
	<Header>
		<Term>Problem</Term>
	</Header>
	<Event>
		<RefID>2</RefID>
		<GUID>638b8f34-653e-4332-9782-b5b71dfa8b4f</GUID>
		<AssignedDate>17/09/2025</AssignedDate>
		<AuthorID>
			<RefID>3797</RefID>
		</AuthorID>
		<OriginalAuthor>
			<User>
				<RefID>3797</RefID>
			</User>
			<SystemDate>17/09/2025</SystemDate>
		</OriginalAuthor>
		<DisplayTerm>asthmatic bronchitis</DisplayTerm>
		<Code>
			<Value>fedc1</Value>
			<Scheme>READ2</Scheme>
			<Term>asthmatic bronchitis</Term>
			<MapCode>21341004</MapCode>
			<MapScheme>SNOMED</MapScheme>
		</Code>
		<TermID>
			<Value>fedc1</Value>
			<Scheme>READ2</Scheme>
			<Term>asthmatic bronchitis</Term>
			<MapCode>21341004</MapCode>
			<MapScheme>SNOMED</MapScheme>
		</TermID>
		<EventType>1</EventType>
		<Problem>
			<ProblemStatus>1</ProblemStatus>
			<GroupingStatus>0</GroupingStatus>
			<ProblemType>1</ProblemType>
			<Significance>1</Significance>
			<ExpectedDuration>0</ExpectedDuration>
		</Problem>
	</Event>
</ConsultationElement>

Note that we put a random string in <Value> for <Code> and pass the concept ID into <MapCode>. However, EMIS Web discards the code.
It seems EMIS Web wants their internal EMIS code in <Value> – does anyone have any straightforward ways to go from a concept ID to the EMIS code?

Any ideas @mayfield.g.kev ? Seems like you were working on this EMIS territory quite a bit.

Thanks in advance,

Faraz

2

I’m away at the moment but pretty certain

scheme should be snomed And Code the snomed concept.

map code is for EMIS internal use

3

That fixed it and thanks for the 9pm response, much appreciated!

However, it seems that SNOMED codes are a “hit-and-miss” with EMIS Web. As in, some concept IDs aren’t recognised by EMIS Web. Is there a way to discern this before filing away? Otherwise we could end up flooding codes that appear like:

“[DEGRADE] has a sore throat” (as an example)

4

On further review it seems some SNOMED-CT concepts are ‘inactive’, which would mean EMIS Web doesn’t recognise nor support them. Is that correct?

5

Does the nhs England terminology browser have them as inactive?

Not sure how we got our codes? May have added them via emis and then used api to view codes … or found them in QOF lists

6

Yep, the NHS England terminology browser marks them as inactive.

Just trying to find some sort of terminology dataset which allows me to mass-download the SNOMED codes which are considered active by NHS. We’re currently using SNOMED-CT’s international dataset, which will naturally contain inactive codes.

An endpoint lookup may also work - any ideas on where to start?

7

We use this https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue/terminology-server-fhir

Some of the codes we use (with emis) are documented under domain archetypes e.g. Vital Signs - Patient Care Coordination (PCC) Implementation Guide v0.1.1-current

8

Another useful site for use with UK primary care is https://www.opencodelists.org/