IE (Ireland) Core Implementation Guide - Local Development build (v0.3.0) built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) Build Tools. See the Directory of published versions

Terminology Services (CTS & NMPC)

HSE Central Terminology Server (CTS) & NMPC

The HSE Central Terminology Server (CTS) is the authoritative national FHIR terminology service for Ireland, operated by the Health Service Executive (HSE). It exposes a standard FHIR R4 terminology API and hosts all national code systems required for Irish healthcare interoperability, including:

FHIR endpoint: https://nmpc.hse.ie/production1/fhir

Guidance & API examples: https://github.com/hsenmpc/nmpc-api-examples

Authentication: The CTS requires OAuth2 bearer token authentication. Token endpoint: https://nmpc.hse.ie/authorisation/auth/realms/terminology/. See the NMPC API Examples repository for detailed authentication guidance.

National Medicinal Product Catalogue (NMPC)

The NMPC is Ireland's national registry of medicinal products, maintained by the HSE in collaboration with the HPRA. It is modelled as a SNOMED CT-based product hierarchy within the SNOMED CT Irish Extension. Real product identifiers are SNOMED CT concept IDs — not local code strings.

NMPC Product Hierarchy

NMPC products are organised in a six-level hierarchy, each level represented as a SNOMED CT refset within the Irish Extension (module 1601000220105):

Prescribing guidance:

• Use VMP concepts for generic prescribing (MedicationRequest)
• Use AMP concepts for branded prescribing where required
• Use AMPP concepts in dispensing records (MedicationDispense)

IE Core ValueSets for NMPC product levels are defined in the IE Core terminology:

Querying the CTS

Expand a ValueSet (AMPP — dispensable packs)

To retrieve all current AMPP concepts from the CTS using the NMPC supplement:

GET https://nmpc.hse.ie/production1/fhir/ValueSet/$expand
  ?url=https://hl7-ie.github.io/ie-core/fhir/ie/core/ValueSet/ie-core-nmpc-ampp
  &useSupplement=https://nmpc.hse.ie/CodeSystem/nmpc-supplement
Authorization: ******

The useSupplement parameter enables the CTS to return NMPC-specific properties (PCRS category, HPRA authorisation number, shortage status, ATC code, etc.) alongside the SNOMED CT display names.

Lookup a specific product

GET https://nmpc.hse.ie/production1/fhir/CodeSystem/$lookup
  ?system=http://snomed.info/sct
  &version=http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105
  &code=<SNOMED concept ID>
  &useSupplement=https://nmpc.hse.ie/CodeSystem/nmpc-supplement
Authorization: ******

Filter by PCRS reimbursement category

PCRS scheme membership is exposed as an NMPC supplement property. To filter products available under the GMS scheme:

GET https://nmpc.hse.ie/production1/fhir/ValueSet/$expand
  ?url=https://hl7-ie.github.io/ie-core/fhir/ie/core/ValueSet/ie-core-nmpc-ampp
  &useSupplement=https://nmpc.hse.ie/CodeSystem/nmpc-supplement
  &filter=PCRS:GMS
Authorization: ******

PCRS categories are defined at: https://nmpc.hse.ie/PCRS/Category

HPRA Drug Catalogue

The HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority) maintains the authoritative registry of medicinal products licensed for use in Ireland. HPRA product identifiers are mapped to NMPC SNOMED concepts via a SNOMED ConceptMap refset (690021000220108).

To look up an HPRA authorisation number for a product use the NMPC supplement lookup, which includes the HPRA identifier as a property on the SNOMED CT concept.

No FHIR code system URI for HPRA authorisation numbers has been published, so IE Core does not define one (Requires Clarification, OI-023). Carry the HPRA authorisation number in Medication.identifier with a system agreed with the HPRA/HSE once one exists; the CTS ConceptMap refset identifiers on this page have not been independently verified (OI-018).

ATC Mapping

WHO ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical) codes are mapped to NMPC VTM-level SNOMED concepts via ConceptMap refset 680441000220106 on the CTS. To retrieve the ATC code for a product:

GET https://nmpc.hse.ie/production1/fhir/ConceptMap/$translate
  ?system=http://snomed.info/sct
  &version=http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105
  &code=<SNOMED VTM concept ID>
  &target=http://www.whocc.no/atc
Authorization: ******

Coding Patterns in IE Core Resources

MedicationRequest (generic prescribing — VMP)

{
  "resourceType": "MedicationRequest",
  "medicationCodeableConcept": {
    "coding": [
      {
        "system": "http://snomed.info/sct",
        "version": "http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105",
        "code": "<VMP SNOMED concept ID>",
        "display": "<VMP display name from NMPC>"
      },
      {
        "system": "http://www.whocc.no/atc",
        "code": "<ATC code>",
        "display": "<ATC description>"
      }
    ]
  }
}

MedicationDispense (AMPP — dispensed pack)

In the IE Medication Events eDispensation profile (HL7 Europe MPD parent) the medication is a medicationReference, so the coding below sits in the referenced Medication.code. It is shown inline here for brevity.

{
  "resourceType": "MedicationDispense",
  "medicationCodeableConcept": {
    "coding": [
      {
        "system": "http://snomed.info/sct",
        "version": "http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105",
        "code": "<AMPP SNOMED concept ID>",
        "display": "<AMPP display name from NMPC>"
      },
      {
        "system": "http://www.whocc.no/atc",
        "code": "<ATC code>",
        "display": "<ATC description>"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Examples use real NMPC codes. Every medicinal product in the IE Core examples carries its NMPC VMP code: a SNOMED CT Irish Edition concept (system http://snomed.info/sct, version http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105), for example 718271000220105 Metformin hydrochloride 500 mg oral tablet. Each was checked in the NMPC Meds Catalogue (base publication 21 September 2026) and is recorded in docs/hiqa-2026/nmpc-verification.csv.

Checking Irish codes

Two public, authoritative places show Irish content:

NMPC codes are SNOMED CT concept IDs: NMPC VMP, AMP, VMPP and AMPP codes are Irish Extension concepts (their SCTID carries the Irish namespace 1000220, e.g. 716141000220105), while NMPC VTMs can be International concepts (e.g. 776338003 Insulin aspart). Both browsers are for reference use; neither offers an open API, so automated validation still needs the HSE CTS (OI-022). scripts/terminology/verify_codes.py checks Irish Extension codes against the catalogue-verified list instead of tx.fhir.org.

SNOMED CT Irish Edition

The SNOMED CT Irish Edition extends the SNOMED CT International Edition with Irish-specific content, maintained by eHealth Ireland in partnership with SNOMED International.

• Module ID: 1601000220105
• Coding.system: always http://snomed.info/sct (FHIR uses one system URI for every SNOMED CT edition)
• Coding.version / ValueSet compose.include.version: http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105 to name the Irish Edition. A system of http://snomed.info/sct/1601000220105 is wrong: no validator or terminology server treats it as SNOMED CT (ADR-007).

IE Core uses the SNOMED CT Irish Edition. Every SNOMED CT ValueSet in this IG includes codes from the Irish Edition. International Edition concepts are part of the Irish Edition, so an International concept is a valid Irish Edition code. Irish Extension concepts (including all NMPC products) exist only in the Irish Edition.

Validation: tx.fhir.org does not host the Irish Edition. Public validation therefore checks International concepts only, and ValueSets pinned to the Irish Edition cannot be expanded there (OI-022). Irish Extension codes must be checked against the HSE CTS.

• Release schedule: Aligned with SNOMED International biannual releases

The Irish Extension includes:

• All NMPC medicinal product concepts (the full product hierarchy)
• Irish-specific clinical concepts as required by HSE clinical terminology programs
• Mapping refsets for HPRA, PCRS, and ATC

Further Resources