Specific Medical Codes Used In The United States

The American Medical Association developed the medical coding system that's in use in the United States. The codes are used to identify a medical practitioner's diagnosis, and treatments provided. These standardized medical codes help patients to check their diagnosis and it helps the health care insurers in reimbursing health care costs. The medical coding systems currently in use are:

CPT: These codes are known as Current Procedural Terminology Codes and are used to describe every type of service that a health care facility may provide to a patient. The health care service provider uses the list to submit to the health care payer for reimbursement. Patients can also use these to check the services rendered to them.

HCPCS: Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes are used by Medicare. The level 1 HCPCS codes are identical to CPT codes. Level II codes are used to identify any services related to healthcare that has been provided outside the healthcare facilities, like ambulance services, or medical equipment. HCPCS level II codes are codes that have not been catered for in CPT codes.

ICD: International Classification of Diseases codes are maintained in the United States by CDC and internationally by the World Health Organization. These codes keep changing over time and are found in patients' hospital records and on death certificates.

ICF: These codes have been recently added to medical coding and are used to describe patients' disabilities and how able they are to function in their environment. They refer to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

DRG: These codes are used to group Diagnosis Related Groups and currently there are approximately 500 groups. Patients' diagnosis, treatment, age and other criteria's are used to group patients having the same diagnosis, treatment, etc. Medicare uses the DRG codes on the patient's record for purposes of reimbursement.

NDC: These are the National Drug Codes that have been developed by the Federal Drug Authority and since 1972 have required all prescription and insulin manufacturer to identify each of their products by a three segment unique number. The Federal Drug Authority maintains the updated list on its website.

CDT: Now dentists also have the ability of using codes to identify procedures conducted. The Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature has been specifically developed for this purpose.

DSM-IV-TR: This is a set of codes developed by the American Psychiatric Association to enable coding of psychiatric illnesses of patients, and are published and maintained by the association.

This is the list of medical codes that are currently in use in the United States by healthcare service providers.

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