UHDDS

I was trying to find the latest info on the uniform hospital discharge data set (UHDDS) from the National Committee on Vital Health and Statistics (NCVHS). The NCVHS website search was not very helpful, but there is a “Core Health Data Elements Report” from 1996. I remember the 1992 revision and still have the Federal Register documentation (July 1985) for the 1984 Revision of the Uniform Hospital Data Set. I’m curious about how this statement has survived in The Official Guidelines for Coding Reporting.

“C. Two or more diagnoses that equally meet the definition for principal diagnosis
In the unusual instance when two or more diagnoses equally meet the criteria for principal diagnosis as determined by the circumstances of admission, diagnostic workup and/or therapy provided, and the Alphabetic Index, Tabular List, or another coding guidelines does not provide sequencing direction, any one of the diagnoses may be sequenced first.”

Is it really an unusual instance or another case of something that has survived beyond its practical use? Based on the frequency of official “clarifications” it seems like we need to revisit coding guidelines and provide better working definitions for the 21st century. Maybe the committee should plan on having more frequent UHDDS modifications and updates.