The use of SNOMED CT as a reference terminology in healthcare has added value for patients, healthcare professionals and software developers.

As of 1 January 2021 Germany is a member state of SNOMED International. The national competence Center for Terminologies at BfArM is responsible for the provision and further development of SNOMED CT in Germany according to Section 355 (7) SGB V and is establishing the SNOMED National Release Center (NRC) for this purpose. Obtaining an affiliate licence for SNOMED CT is free of charge for users in Germany.

SNOMED International provides a wide range of information and documentation material to help you get started, or to familiarise yourself with specific subject areas.

Training courses and events are offered to enable users to make full use of SNOMED CT and to exchange information within the user community. There is also an extensive eLearning offer by SNOMED International.

In order to use SNOMED CT in Germany, an affiliate licence is required, which you can apply for via the registration portal MLDS (Member Licensing and Distribution Service). Releases for the SNOMED International Edition as well as refsets for special topics and mappings can also be obtained via the MLDS.

Change requests for extensions and modifications of SNOMED CT concepts can be submitted to the National Release Center at BfArM.

In 2020 a working group was formed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg (in short: D-A-CH-L) to launch a coordinated German-language reference translation of SNOMED CT. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) provides information on translation activities and accepts translation requests.

A National Extension is being used to publish country-specific SNOMED CT content. A National Edition of SNOMED CT consists of the International Edition and the National Extension.

The SNOMED CT Working Group advises the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) on topics related to the strategic development and application of SNOMED CT in Germany, on the coordination of changes resulting from national and international requirements, on contributions to translation, and on the preparation of a German position for European and international bodies.