Rules for Coding and Reporting COVID-19 Episodes of Care
Date published: 10 March 2021
This publication outlines the rules for coding and reporting coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) episodes of care. IHPA is required to update the national activity based funding (ABF) classifications and data reporting requirements to accommodate the emerging situation with COVID-19. Accurately capturing hospital activity associated with the COVID-19 outbreak will also be critical for other purposes, such as epidemiological studies.
On 13 March 2020, the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments signed the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response, in order to provide financial assistance for the additional costs incurred by health services in responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
In order to implement the measures under the agreement and accurately capture COVID-19 episodes of care and COVID-19 related hospital activity for other purposes, IHPA has issued national classification and reporting rules to ensure this activity is captured on a nationally consistent basis.
IHPA has developed a compendium of COVID-19 classification advice that specifies the rules for coding and reporting of COVID-19 episodes of care in Australian public hospitals in the following settings:
- admitted care
- emergency department care
- non-admitted care.
Please refer to How to classify COVID-19, a dedicated webpage that brings together all advice related to the classification of COVID-19 and provides supplementary guidance and FAQs to assist in the coding of COVID-19.
Where required, this publication may be updated to address the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep up to date with information about this publication by visiting this page regularly.