The Saudi Health Council issued a list of medical coding and classification systems for the health and insurance sector in the Kingdom.
This includes listing all relevant health facilities, adopting general requirements for these facilities, and establishing a registration and licensing mechanism. It also involves coordinating with government agencies and implementing a system for monitoring its application in the health sectors.
Walid bin Khalid Al-Bahili, Director General of the National Center for Health Information, explained that the medical coding regulations aim to organize coding and classifying medical data. They establish standards for issuing and renewing medical coding licenses and link to the unified health file “Nafis”.
These regulations serve as the regulatory framework in the Kingdom, improving the quality and efficiency of health services. They also facilitate the exchange of health information between relevant authorities and support health planning, digital transformation, studies, statistics, research and tracking diseases and causes of death.
This is part of the Saudi Health Council’s efforts to improve health care quality, increase efficiency, and facilitate access through health sector digitization. Medical coding translates the names or terms of diseases and procedures into numerical and alphabetical codes. A qualified medical coder reviews and analyzes the patient’s medical record to document diagnoses and treatment using these codes.
Medical coding in the Kingdom, implemented since 2010, has evolved significantly. In 2023, 1,926 licenses were issued to health facilities and medical insurance. Furthermore, this licenses supported health data exchange.
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