23. A method for implementing an interface terminology in a longitudinal electronic medical record, the interface terminology comprising a plurality of concepts and a plurality of descriptions, a description being an alternative way to express a concept, the method comprising: linking, in a database, each concept to two or more respective descriptions via a directed graph structure; storing, in a database, an external code set comprising a plurality of external codes; mapping each concept to a respective external code via a directed graph structure; and deploying a front-end file, the front-end file comprises a link between the descriptions and the external code set; wherein each said respective concept provides a unique terminology for a user and can be added, updated, deleted, and merged; wherein said descriptions in said database include terms used by both clinicians and patients; wherein, for each concept, one of said plurality of descriptions is a preferred description for the linked concept and one of said plurality of descriptions is a preferred consumer term for the linked concept; wherein each said concept may map to more than one of said plurality of external codes; and wherein said method for implementing an interface terminology serves the ends of capturing clinician's intent, driving financial aspects including billing, and driving analytical functions; creating a longitudinal electronic medical record by: generating a first instance of a plurality of data objects during a first encounter, said plurality of data objects comprising data elements further comprising a first instance identifier and temporal identifiers; linking a data object in said first instance to a summarization reference with a pointer, where the plurality of data objects and the summarization reference are related as part of a directed graph data structure; creating an additional instance of a plurality of data objects during a later encounter, said additional instance of a plurality of data objects comprising data elements further comprising an additional instance identifier and temporal identifier; and providing continuity for said plurality of data objects of said first instance over time by tracking a relationship between said data object of said first instance and a data object of said additional instance; tagging elements within a domain within the longitudinal electronic medical record with one or more of said plurality of descriptions; and displaying the preferred descriptions and the preferred consumer term.
25. The method according to claim 23 , further comprising: adding a new external code; mapping at least one concept to the new external code; and re-deploying the front-end file, the front-end file comprising a link between at least one description and the new external code; wherein the mapping step occurs without the need to re-link the at least one description to the at least one concept.