1. A method for implementing an interface terminology in a longitudinal electronic medical record, the interface terminology comprising concepts and descriptions, a description being an alternative way to express a concept, the method comprising: storing a plurality of concepts in a first table a database; storing a plurality of descriptions in a second table in the database; storing in a third table in the database linking information that links each description in the second table to a respective concept in the first table; storing an external code set in a fourth table in the database, the external code set comprising a plurality of external codes; and mapping an external code to a respective concept via a directed graph structure linking each external code in the fourth table to the respective concept in the first table; wherein said plurality of concepts provide a unique terminology for a user and can be added, updated, deleted, and merged; wherein multiple of said plurality of descriptions may link to one of said plurality of concepts; wherein said plurality of descriptions 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 multiple of said plurality of external codes may map to one of said plurality of concepts; 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.
1. A method for implementing an interface terminology in a longitudinal electronic medical record, the interface terminology comprising concepts and descriptions, a description being an alternative way to express a concept, the method comprising: storing a plurality of concepts in a first table a database; storing a plurality of descriptions in a second table in the database; storing in a third table in the database linking information that links each description in the second table to a respective concept in the first table; storing an external code set in a fourth table in the database, the external code set comprising a plurality of external codes; and mapping an external code to a respective concept via a directed graph structure linking each external code in the fourth table to the respective concept in the first table; wherein said plurality of concepts provide a unique terminology for a user and can be added, updated, deleted, and merged; wherein multiple of said plurality of descriptions may link to one of said plurality of concepts; wherein said plurality of descriptions 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 multiple of said plurality of external codes may map to one of said plurality of concepts; 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. 8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one concept includes a preferred clinician term and a preferred patient term linked as descriptions of that concept.