Pathology coding

The PRSB are working with NHS Digital to standardise pathology coding

Overview

Diagnostic information is vital for supporting good healthcare outcomes. We are working with NHS Digital to standardise pathology coding, which will help to make accurate and comparable information about test results accessible for those who need it.

There are some 250 pathology labs that will be affected by this programme and at present it is unclear how information flows between them and primary and secondary care providers. Different providers and vendors also use a variety of coding systems, which are useful and safe in their own settings. But it can be hard to consolidate all the information from different labs.

We understand the need to engage clinicians to solve this issue, and we are working closely with the Royal College of Pathologists on the standardisation process.

Whether you are a patient who may need tests, a clinician requesting tests and receiving
results or a lab receiving test requests and sending results, your input is very important to
us. We would like to invite you to participate in this consultation which aims to:

  • Inform our work
  • Provide your views on the suitability and completeness of the proposed
    standard to meet your needs (and its generalisability to other types of
    pathology test)
  • Provide feedback on whether you think the proposed approach is safe and
    implementable

Survey will open March 2019