Clinical Terminology and Clinical Classification Systems: A Critique Using AHIMA’s Data Quality Management Model
Clinical coding constitutes one of the fundamental functions in the field of health information management. Clinical classification systems and clinical terminologies represent two distinct sets of coding schemes that are used in healthcare. In this context, it is critical to distinguish between clinical terminologies and clinical classification systems, identify how both sets of systems are utilized in healthcare settings, and acknowledge individual contributions of each system to providing data infrastructure for clinical as well as administrative data uses in the healthcare delivery system.