ASQ gets standardized LOINC codes for suicide risk screening

SPiER says the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool has been approved for inclusion in LOINC 2.83, giving health systems a standardized way to exchange suicide risk screening data. The move could improve documentation, care handoffs and follow-up across electronic health records and other health technologies.

Why it matters: - Standardized LOINC codes for the ASQ can make suicide risk screening data computable across health systems. - The change is meant to improve handoffs, follow-up tracking and measurement when patients move between care settings. - The update gives electronic health records, health information exchanges and other health technologies a stronger foundation for scaling the ASQ.

What happened: - SPiER, an initiative of Zero Overdose, announced that the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool has been approved for inclusion in the August 2026 LOINC 2.83 release. - The inclusion creates standardized LOINC codes for the ASQ panel, its individual questions and response values. - The LOINC 2.83 release is expected to be published in August 2026.

The details: - The ASQ was developed by the National Institute of Mental Health. - The screening tool takes about 20 seconds to administer. - LOINC is the standard identifier system for clinical observations and assessments and is maintained by Regenstrief Institute. - Federal certification rules require LOINC for laboratory data and screening assessments. - Before this addition, ASQ results were often stored in locally defined fields that varied by organization. - A screening completed in an emergency department could arrive at an outpatient practice as unstructured text, or not arrive in usable form at all. - A positive screen often did not follow the patient into the next care setting. - SPiER said standardized coding now gives organizations a better base for documenting and exchanging critical information across systems. - Dhruv Saitwal, a junior at Elkins High School, contributed to the standardization work through research on the Suicide Safe Care project with the HL7 EHR Work Group and SPiER. - Saitwal used a generative AI retrieval-augmented generation approach to analyze more than 600 suicide-related research articles. - The research extracted information on screening and assessment tools, including use, populations, outcomes, care settings and study characteristics. - SPiER said the approach could help identify evidence-based tools that may be candidates for future LOINC submissions. - Lisa Horowitz, a National Institute of Mental Health staff scientist and developer of the ASQ, said providers can reduce youth suicide by asking questions. - Horowitz also said Saitwal's initiative shows how one person taking action can save lives.

Between the lines: - The ASQ move reflects a broader push to make suicide risk information more visible and interoperable inside clinical workflows. - Standardization matters because unstructured or locally defined data can break continuity of care when patients move across settings. - The collaboration also shows how AI-assisted research is being used to support health data standardization, not just clinical decision-making. - Saitwal said the work combines psychology, AI and health informatics and supports an ASQ in 23 languages across EHR systems.

What's next: - Health systems and technology vendors can use the new LOINC codes to embed the ASQ more consistently across electronic records and exchanges. - SPiER's broader Suicide Safe Care effort will continue looking for screening and assessment tools that could benefit from LOINC standardization. - The August 2026 LOINC 2.83 release will formalize the ASQ coding set once published.

The bottom line: - The ASQ's move into LOINC turns a widely used suicide screening tool into a more interoperable data standard, which could improve follow-up and care transitions at scale.