The Official Coding Guidelines is an ICD-9-CM publication that combines coding and reporting rules in one source, and is numbered for quick reference. These guidelines assist the coder in coding and reporting situations where the coding manual themselves do not provide direction and with the proper selection and sequencing of codes

These guidelines are approved by the Cooperating Parties: Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). 

Includes coding guidelines and instructions regarding the following topics

• General Inpatient Coding guidelines

  • acute and chronic conditions

  • combination codes

  • impending or threatened conditions

  • late effect

  • level of specificity

  • multiple coding of diagnoses

  • uncertain diagnosis

• Diagnostic coding and reporting guidelines for outpatient services (Hospital-based and physician office)

• Guidelines for reporting adverse effects and poisonings 

• Guidelines for external causes of injuries, poisonings and adverse effects of drugs (E code guidelines)

• Selection of principal diagnosis

• Trauma 

• HIV Infections

• Hypertension

• Newborn Coding guidelines

• Obstetrics

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