Procedures data cubes

On this page

• Procedures cubes for 2006-07 to 2007-08, 2004-05 to 2005-06, 2002-03 to 2003-04 and 2000-01 to 2001-02
• ICD-10-AM/ACHI
• Confidentiality
• Link to AR-DRG and Principal diagnosis data cubes

The source of these data is the AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database. Other data on the procedures performed on hospitalised patients are available in  Australian Hospital Statistics 2007-08. Some data have been revised since previously published. For confidentiality, some data have been suppressed.

Procedures cubes for 2000-01 to 2009-10

A procedure is defined as a clinical intervention that is surgical in nature, carries a procedural risk, carries an anaesthetic risk, requires specialised training, and/or requires special facilities or equipment only available in an acute care setting. Procedures therefore encompass surgical procedures and also non-surgical investigative and therapeutic procedures such as X-rays and chemotherapy. Client support interventions that are neither investigative nor therapeutic (such as anaesthesia) are also included.

Three data cubes are available on the procedures performed on patients. The values in the data cubes are the total number of procedures reported. Use the links below to find information for the following years.

• 2000-01 to 2001-02, classified using ICD-10-AM Second Edition
• 2002-03 to 2003-04, classified using ACHI Third Edition
• 2004-05 to 2005-06, classified using ACHI Fourth Edition
• 2006-07 to 2007-08, classified using ACHI Fifth Edition
• 2008-09 to 2009-10, classified using ACHI Sixth Edition

The use of the different editions in the three databases means that data across years may not be exactly comparable.

One or more procedures can be reported for each separation in the National Hospital Morbidity Database, but procedures are not undertaken for all hospital admissions, and so only a proportion of the separation records include procedure data.

The variables in the data cubes are:

• Year
• Sex (Male, Female, Other/Not reported)
• Age group (5 year groupings, i.e. <1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, ... 85+, Not reported)
• Same day flag (Same day or Overnight)
• Procedure

Within the cubes, users can view the procedures by using a pull-down menu and can work down from the broad chapter level in the ICD classifications to more specific categories (i.e. procedure code), as illustrated below.

6 ICD Chapter

6 ICD Sub-Chapter

6 ICD Block number

6 ICD Procedure code

For example:

6 7. Procedures on Respiratory System (Blocks 520-569)

6 Lung and Pleura (Blocks 548-558)

6 Block 549 Incision procedures on lung or pleura

6 38415-00 Incision of pleura

Users of the data cubes are likely to require some familiarity with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10^th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) and have access to the full publications. This data access system does not allow searching on key words or ICD-10-AM codes. Users will generally need to know what chapter the information they are looking for is in, to work down to more specific levels of detail.

Some summary information on the classifications is presented below.

ICD-10-AM/ACHI

The ICD-10-AM was developed in Australia by the National Casemix and Classification Centre (NCCC).

The then Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services contracted the NCCC to develop an Australian clinical procedure classification based on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). With the third revision of ICD-10-AM, the procedure classification was renamed the Australian Classification of Health Interventions (ACHI). ACHI is the Australian national standard for procedure and intervention coding in Australian hospitals. Guidelines for the use of ACHI are contained in the Australian Coding Standards (ACS).

There are some differences in the coding between editions and these will be reflected in the cube. Readers should refer to the National Casemix and Classification Centre  for information on how to access the full classification and for detailed information on the differences between ICD-10-AM editions.

Australian Classification of Health Interventions

ACHI has been structured with a principal axis of anatomical site. Within each chapter the anatomical site has been structured by a 'head-to-toe' approach. The secondary axis is procedure type, beginning with the least invasive procedure through to the most invasive procedure. Due to the historical development of ACHI, code numbers do not always appear in numerical order within the tabular list. A third level axis, called a block, has been introduced. Blocks are numbered sequentially in the tabular list to assist clinical coders in locating a specific code and have titles that relate specifically to the codes within the block. There are certain chapters that are an exception to the general format: Dental services, Obstetric procedures, Radiation oncology procedures, Noninvasive, cognitive and other interventions, not classified elsewhere and Imaging services.

The following is a list of the ACHI procedure chapters and the code ranges covered by each:

Block numbers and procedure codes can vary across editions, with the same block numbers representing two different procedure groups from Second to Third edition. This should be taken into consideration when comparing data using different ICD-10-AM editions. Separate cubes exist for each of the ICD-10-AM/ACHI editions as it is difficult to map across editions.

Confidentiality

In order to maintain confidentiality in relation to private hospital activity, some data have been suppressed at the block number and procedure code level of the procedure classification. Data have been suppressed for a particular block or procedure if:

• there are fewer than three reporting units (hospitals or states/territories where the hospitals are not individually identified), or
• there are three or more reporting units and one contributed more than 85% of the total procedures, or
• there are three or more reporting units and two contributed more than 90% of the total procedures.

Data for the suppressed categories will not appear in the procedure cubes, but will be included in the upper level totals. That is, data for the suppressed procedure codes will be included in the block, sub-chapter and chapter totals, and data for the suppressed blocks will be included in the sub-chapter and chapter totals. Thus, the sum of procedure counts for some blocks, sub-chapters or chapters may not match the total.

A list of the suppressed categories can be found in Suppressed categories for procedure cubes (681KB XLS).

Link to AR-DRG and principal diagnosis data cubes

AR-DRG data cubes

Principal Diagnosis data cubes