Diagnóziskódolása

Diagnóziskódolása, often translated as diagnosis coding, is the process of translating medical diagnoses into standardized alphanumeric codes. This is a critical component of healthcare administration and billing. The primary purpose of diagnosis coding is to create a universal language for describing patient conditions, enabling efficient data collection, analysis, and communication between healthcare providers, payers, and researchers.

The most widely used coding system for diagnoses is the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), currently in its ICD-10 version. ICD codes are maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are adapted and implemented by various countries. In the United States, for instance, ICD-10-CM (Clinical Modification) is used for diagnosis coding. These codes provide a detailed and hierarchical classification of diseases, injuries, symptoms, and causes of death.

The accurate assignment of diagnosis codes is performed by trained medical coders or healthcare professionals. They review patient medical records, including physician's notes, test results, and operative reports, to identify the specific conditions treated or assessed. Based on this information, they select the most appropriate ICD code. Incorrect coding can lead to reimbursement issues, inaccurate statistical data, and potentially impact patient care quality assessments. Diagnosis coding is essential for insurance claims processing, public health surveillance, medical research, and resource allocation within healthcare systems.