DRG Coding Advisor: AHIMA issues call for coding consistency
Standards must be set nationwide
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) of Chicago issued on May 18, 2002, a statement calling for consistency of health care diagnostic and procedural coding.
The organization, representing more than 41,000 HIM and coding professionals, has taken the position that uniform coding standards will reduce administrative costs, enhance data quality and integrity, and improve health care decision-making.
According to AHIMA, coded clinical data are used for a wide variety of purposes and should not be guided merely by the goals of a particular payer or health plan.
The variable requirements of different health plans and contractors undermine the integrity and comparability of health care data, AHIMA contends.
To achieve the necessary consistency of health care diagnostic and procedure coding, AHIMA makes these recommendations for the health care industry:
- All health care entities agree to use only valid versions of the medical code sets and coding standards, or they refrain from following or creating rules that force health care entities to violate coding standards.
- The process of assigning, validating, and developing codes and coding policies should include the participation of certified coding professionals.
- Medical Code Set Maintenance Organizations will provide public processes for input to the update and maintenance of the code set standard, include representation from all involved parties in decisions regarding code set revisions, and publish and implement code set revisions and standards on a scheduled basis.
- Medical Code Sets will be flexible to accommodate changes in clinical and medical practices; maintained to ensure stability and the ability to compare coded data over time; updated on a timely basis; unique and capable of uniform use across different sites of service; subject to a national central coordinating authority; and able to facilitate a national health care information infrastructure.
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