Outpatient clinic type code N[N]

Representational attributes

Collection and usage attributes

The rules for allocating (mapping) clinic services to the clinic codes structure is the responsibility of each State and Territory and these rules need to be applied consistently within each State and Territory.

In most cases, reference to the code guide of permissible values will be adequate to map a hospital's clinics to the data domain. If not, general principles for mapping existing clinics to the data domain should take account of (a) the nature of the specialty, (b) patient characteristics, e.g. age, and (c) the field of practice of the service provider.

Where the patient characteristics have determined that a paediatric clinic type is appropriate, then further differentiation between surgical and medical is determined by (a) the nature of the specialty, and (b) the field of practice of the service provider. That is, paediatric medical would include any investigations, treatment(s) or services provided to a child which do not pertain to the surgical care of diseases or injuries.

In paediatric hospitals, the full range of clinic types should be used.

A guide for the permissible values of codes for the outpatient clinic types is as follows:

CODE 1     Allied Health

• Audiology.
• Clinical Pharmacology.
• Neuropsychology.
• Dietetics.
• Occupational therapy.
• Optometry.
• Orthoptics.
• Orthotics.
• Physiotherapy.
• Podiatry.
• Prosthetics.
• Psychology.
• Social work.
• Speech pathology.

Includes clinics specified in mapping list above run solely by these Allied Health (AH) professionals. Example: A speech Pathologist conducting a clinic with booked patients for speech pathology services.

Excludes services provided by AH professionals in clinics classified in codes 2-23. Example: a physiotherapist running a cardiac rehabilitation clinic is classified to the Cardiology Clinic (see code 5).

CODE 2     Dental

• Dental.

CODE 3     Gynaecology

• Gynaecology.
• Gynaecological oncology (excluding chemotherapy).
• Menopause.
• Assisted reproduction, infertility.
• Family planning.

CODE 4     Obstetrics

• Obstetrics.
• Childbirth education.
• Antenatal.
• Postnatal.

Excludes gestational diabetes (see code 6).

CODE 5     Cardiology

• Cardiac rehabilitation.
• ECG.
• Doppler.
• Cardiac stress test.
• Hypertension.
• Pacemaker.

Excludes cardiac catheterisation (see code 22).

CODE 6     Endocrinology

• Endocrine.
• Gestational diabetes.
• Thyroid.
• Metabolic.
• Diabetes.
• Diabetes education.

CODE 7     Oncology

• Oncology.
• Lymphoedema.
• Radiation oncology.

Excludes chemotherapy (see code 20).

Excludes gynaecological oncology (see code 3).

CODE 8     Respiratory

• Asthma.
• Asthma education.
• Respiratory; excludes tuberculosis (see code 10).
• Cystic Fibrosis.
• Sleep.
• Pulmonary.

CODE 9     Gastroenterology

• Gastroenterology.

Excludes endoscopy (see code 13).

CODE 10    Medical

• Aged care, geriatric, gerontology.
• Allergy.
• Anti-coagulant.
• Clinical Measurement; include with relevant specialty clinic type where clinical measurement services are specific to a specialty (see codes 1-23) e.g. urodynamic analysis is counted with Urology (see code 15).
• Dementia.
• Dermatology.
• Development disability.
• Epilepsy.
• Falls.
• General medicine.
• Genetic.
• Haematology, haemophilia.
• Hepatobiliary.
• Hyperbaric medicine.
• Immunology, HIV.
• Infectious diseases; Communicable diseases; Hep B, C; includes tuberculosis.
• Men's Health.
• Metabolic bone.
• Excludes Nephrology (see code 24); excludes renal (see code 24); excludes dialysis (see code 21).
• Neurology, neurophysiology.
• Occupational medicine.
• Other.
• Pain management
• Palliative.
• Refugee clinic.
• Rehabilitation; excludes cardiac rehabilitation (see code 5).
• Rheumatology.
• Sexual Health.
• Spinal.
• Stoma therapy.
• Transplants (excludes kidney transplants see code 24).
• Wound, Dressing clinic.

CODE 11    General practice/primary care

• General Practice, Primary Care.

Excludes Medicare billable patients; defined specialty general practice clinics only.

CODE 12    Paediatric Medical

• Adolescent health.
• Neonatology.
• Paediatric medicine.

In paediatric hospitals the full range of service types should be used. That is, paediatric medical should be reported as medical and paediatric surgery should be reported as surgery.

CODE 13    Endoscopy

Includes all occasions of service for endoscopy including cystoscopy, gastroscopy, oesophagoscopy, duodenoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy and sigmoidoscopy.

Care must be taken to ensure procedures for admitted patients are excluded from this category.

CODE 14    Plastic surgery

• Craniofacial.
• Melanoma.
• Plastic surgery.

CODE 15    Urology

• Urology.

Includes urodynamic measurement and IVPs.

CODE 16    Orthopaedic surgery

• Fracture.
• Hand.
• Orthopaedics Surgery.
• Other.
• Scoliosis.
• Neck of femur.

CODE 17    Ophthalmology

• Ophthalmology.
• Cataract extraction.
• Lens insertion.

CODE 18    Ear, nose and throat

• Ear, nose and throat.
• Otitis media.
• Oral.

CODE 19    Pre-admission and pre-anaesthesia

• Pre-admission.
• Pre-anaesthesia.

CODE 20    Chemotherapy

Includes all forms of chemotherapy.

CODE 21    Dialysis

Dialysis and includes renal dialysis education. See code 24 for Renal medicine

CODE 22    Surgery

• Cardiac.
• Vascular.
• Cardiac catheterisation.
• Colorectal.
• Upper GI surgery.
• General surgery.
• Neurosurgery.
• Other surgery.
• Thoracic surgery.

CODE 23    Paediatric surgery

In paediatric hospitals the full range of service types should be used. That is, paediatric medical should be reported as medical and paediatric surgery should be reported as surgery.

CODE 24    Renal Medical

• Renal Medicine.
• Nephrology.
• Includes pre and post transplant treatment, support and education.
• Excludes dialysis and renal dialysis education. See code 21.