Yes. There is fee to license the IDNT for internal use in electronic health records or for external use in products sold or distributed. Other organizations, such as the American Medical Association who owns the copyright for the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, also charge fees for licensing their terminology. The Association is responsible to use member dues to develop products and services that enhance practice and membership. This language is protected via copyright so that as the terms are imbedded in EHRs, the unique dietetics-related practice information is not altered or infringed upon. Further, requiring a permission agreement is necessary to ensure that the Association is aware of the organizations using the language and can provide each organization with timely and accurate updates as the language evolves. The Association does not want the licensing fee to be a barrier to using the terms; however, the cost of the ongoing development and maintenance of the IDNT is beyond what can be covered by member dues alone.

The Academy believes that the resources invested in the ongoing development and maintenance of the IDNT is valuable. The codes, current IDNT Reference Manual and automatic updates to the terms are provided with each license. Throughout the process, the Academy uses resources for establishing a contract with the organization, invoicing, and sending the resources. The fees the Academy developed are consistent with fees that other organizations assess. If you have questions about fees for licensing the IDNT, contact ncpslpermissions@eatright.org.

Internal License
Depending upon whether you have an in-house (homegrown/built) or contracted EHR, you may or may not need to have an agreement with the Academy. Some EHR companies have a license for the terminology, and if your organization has a contract with them, you can access the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) International Dietetics and Nutrition Terminology (IDNT) through that relationship. Since the list of companies that are licensing the terms is ever-changing and some companies consider this proprietary information, please email ncpslpermissions@eatright.org to inquire whether your contract EHR company licenses the terms. If you have an in-house EHR or your contract EHR company does not license the terms, your organization will need an internal license.

The basic fee, if your organization does license the terms, is $165.00 annually for an inpatient facility. State government entities are $150.00 annually and federal government entities are $1,500.00 annually. Multi-facility agreements have a different fee structure, and the per inpatient facility fee is $110.00 annually for three (3) or more facilities; there is a maximum annual charge of $2,750.00. Fees for private practices and ambulatory medical clinics range from $60-$150 annually. For software distribution licenses, the fees depend upon projected sales volume and product cost, and the fees are $500 (member) and $1000 (non-member) annually for small distribution companies and $5000 annually for large distribution companies.