eQuery Coding Question Service: What You Need to Know

Only coding questions that meet 1 or more of the following criteria will be answered:

• There doesn’t appear to be an applicable ICD-10-CAFootnotei or CCIFootnoteii code for a disease, condition or intervention.
• There is a perceived gap in the classifications (ICD-10-CA or CCI), Canadian Coding Standards or related resource content, and addressing this gap could improve data collection. 
• There is a possible error in ICD-10-CA/CCI, the Canadian Coding Standards or related resource content (e.g., bulletins, Tip for Coders, education products). 
• The coding question suggests a potential major or systemic data quality issue. 
• The topic is of significant public interest or a strategic policy issue that has emerged (e.g., medical assistance in dying (MAID), opioid overdoses, COVID-19, vaping-related disorder).

We will not answer coding questions that

• Are hypothetical clinical scenarios;
• Do not include the relevant clinical documentation to put the diagnosis and/or intervention into context;
• Ask for validation of code assignment when a specific issue hasn’t been identified;
• Can be answered using the clients’ resources. Answers will not expand on information that should be acquired through training and/or by consulting available resources, such as ICD-10-CA and CCI, the Canadian Coding Standards, CIHI’s education products, bulletins and Tips for Coders;
• Are related to incomplete, illegible or ambiguous documentation; and/or
• Are not within the scope of the Classifications and Terminologies team’s expertise (e.g., questions that are clinical in nature or that are best directed to another program area). 

The job aid Resolving a Coding Challenge (PDF) is available to help you. Follow the steps outlined in the job aid. When you cannot find a solution, you may create and submit a coding question using the steps outlined in the job aid.

Please make use of these resources: 

• Folio software (ICD-10-CA/CCI classifications);
• iCODE Strategy;
• CIHI classification resources (e.g., education, Canadian Coding Standards, Tips for Coders);
• Internet research (credible and scholarly sites); 
• Informal consultation with coding colleagues or a formalized coding community of practice; and 
• Communication with health professionals in your facility. 

Streamlined resources

• To serve you better, version 2022 of the classifications has been enhanced: the alphabetical index and the tabular list instructional notes now more clearly direct you to the correct code. 
• Education products have been refreshed and streamlined, and more information has been added to the Canadian Coding Standards for Version 2022 ICD-10-CA and CCI. 
• The Education Roadmap: Reach Your GOAL With Classifications, DAD, NACRS and Case Mix (PDF) can help you determine which education products will further enhance your skill sets and knowledge relating to coding and classification. 
• The following products are also now available as resources:
  • A Guide to Obstetrical Coding (PDF)
  • CCI: A Guide to Intervention Code Assignment (PDF)

If you have questions about these changes, email classifications@cihi.ca.