This is an overview of the major changes occurring and anticipated for national mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) beginning with 1999 data. The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, also known as ICD-10, is the basic guidance used in virtually all countries to classify causes of death. ICD-10 is being implemented by the United States effective with deaths occurring in 1999. The ICD is crucial to mortality analysis because it provides not only the disease categories that are used to tabulate mortality statistics, but many other guidances that the United States and other countries are required to use by international treaty. Implementation of ICD-10 is important to users of mortality data because of its possible effect on mortality data trends and patterns. Changes in the way the underlying cause of death is selected from among the several conditions that physicians may report as causing the death, because of changes in coding rules, will also affect cause-of-death trends and patterns, including the leading causes of death. The effect of changes in disease classification and coding rules can measured through a comparability, or double-coding, study. Other changes resulting from ICD-10 include the way NCHS presents mortality statistics in the form of cause-of- death lists, or "tabulation lists." These topics and others will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: Participant will be able to describe the importance of the International Classification of Diseases for the classification and coding of mortality statistics
Keywords: Death, Mortality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.