Frequently Asked Questions - Technology

1. What thesaurus system do you use for coding and versioning?

We have a proprietary thesaurus system for coding and versioning. Click here to go to our Technology page for more information about our thesaurus system.

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2. Is your thesaurus system validated?

Our thesaurus system is fully validated and continues to be maintained and operated in a validated state. We have all of the supporting documentation (requirements specifications, design documents, test plans, test scripts, test results, installation guides, etc.) from its origins in 1995.

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3. What special features are built into your thesaurus system for coding?

Our thesaurus system contains many special features that facilitate coding, including:

• powerful search capabilities that enable our expert coders to quickly and accurately identify the correct coding for a reported term

• the ability to browse the entire hierarchy (all levels) of every dictionary

• the ability to browse any and all versions of every dictionary

• the ability to see how a reported term was coded across all versions of a dictionary

• the ability to maintain client-specific coding conventions and to code based on those specific coding conventions

• for WHO Drug, the ability to see all ingredients and ATC codes for every drug entry

• for WHO Drug, the ability to browse as well as code to all formats (B1, B2 and C)

• for WHO Drug, the ability to make client-specific ATC code selections for drugs and maintain those selections as the default for future coding

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4. What special features are built into your thesaurus system for versioning?

Our proprietary thesaurus system has special MedDRA and WHO Drug versioning tools that are not found in commercially available thesaurus systems, including:

• the ability to compare between any two versions of the dictionary and identify what has changed between the versions

• powerful search capabilities, using proprietary algorithms, to identify reported terms that need to be re-coded because a better choice has become available in the newer version

• the ability to see how a reported term was coded across all versions of a dictionary

• the ability to upversion using client-specific coding conventions

• for WHO Drug, the ability to update client-specific ATC code selections when the available choices have changed in the newer version

• for WHO Drug, the ability to identify reported terms that need to be re-coded because the ingredients for the previous coding have changed in the newer version

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5. Does your thesaurus system utilize any autoencoders?

We do not use any autoencoders. Click here for our view on autoencoders.

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6. Your thesaurus system sounds great. Can I purchase it for use within my company?

Unfortunately, our thesaurus is not available for licensing or purchase. Creating and maintaining a software system for our internal use is much different than creating, maintaining, and supporting a commercial software product. We prefer to remain a top provider of thesaurus services rather than becoming a software company.

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7. What technology measures do you institute to ensure my data is fully protected?

We employ all of the latest measures to ensure your data is fully protected, including firewalls, antivirus software, uninterruptible power supplies, and RAID storage. In addition, our corporate network is configured so that servers containing client data are isolated from the internet.

We institute weekly full and daily incremental backups, including offsite storage.

Although we are a small company, we undertake all necessary measures to provide solid protection from hardware failures as well as disasters.

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