AES Medical has successfully applied to NHS Connecting for Health for licences to provide its NHS customers with ICD-10 and OPCS-4 coding. This will enable AES Medical to continue its support for the key criteria set out in the NHS Plan to improve the flow and use of information within the NHS.

The agreement also enables PathoSys® to provide export of high quality data for The National Clinical Audit Support Programme (NCASP). This includes the following national audits:

  • National Bowel Cancer Audit Project (NBOCAP)
  • Head and Neck Cancer Audit (DAHNO)
  • National Oesophago-gastric Cancer Audit
  • National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit

ICD-10

The ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – Tenth Revision) classification is used for the recording of diseases and health related problems ie the diagnosis or reason for a patient episode of health care. The World Health Organisation (WHO) produces the classification and ICD-10 is the latest version.

ICD-10 is used within the acute sector of the NHS and the classification codes are mandatory for use across England.

The ICD-10 codes are WHO copyright, however, NHS Connecting for Health holds the licence for the UK to use the ICD-10 codes within the NHS as the joint UK World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for the Classification of Diseases.

OPCS-4

The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures – Fourth Revision (OPCS-4) is a statistical classification devised for translating or classifying all operations and surgical procedures that may be carried out on a patient during an episode of health care in the NHS acute sector.

OPCS-4 is Crown copyright. The NHS Connecting for Health holds responsibility for the administration and maintenance of OPCS-4 and issuing of licence agreements.