The Ministry of Health represented by the Department of Health Data Management and Registration of the Directorate General of Planning and Studies held today ( Tuesday) a workshop on the clinical documentation and medical coding and its impact on morbidity and death indicators.

The event was attended by Dr. Halima Al Hanai, the Director General of Planning and Studies with the presence of number of MOH’s senior officials at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.

More than (75) participants from various MOH’s institutions took part in the workshop in addition to participants from the Armed Forces, Diwan of Royal Court, Royal Oman Police, and the Sultan Qaboos University hospital. 

In her opening speech, the Director General of Planning and Studies underlined the significance of clinical documentation and its impact on medical services providers at all levels, highlighting meanwhile relevant actions undertaken to promote community health and raising health workers awareness. 

Moreover, the implementation of health insurance’s impact on medical coding practices was highlighted by Dr. Salem Al Salmi, Associate Dean for Health Information Management Program at Oman Health Sciences College. Dr. Al Salmi touched upon the recent version of the International Classification of Disease (ICD) pointing out at the same time to the tendency towards designing a version compatible with the health insurance requirements.  Dr. Salem Al Salmi stressed the need for developing scrutinized plans, and qualifying cadres capable of dealing with the coming phase through improving academic qualification, training, and professional practice. 

The workshop reviewed resources of health data and shed light on the current situation of mortality statistics and quality along with their different uses for research and studies.  

The specificity of clinical documentation rather that their amount was stressed in the workshop. The event further elaborated on the clinical documentation process and its link with the provided health services, auditing, and influence on death certificates, medical coding, and the institution performance.

During the event, several development initiatives, submitted to upgrade quality of diagnosis and medical coding, were reviewed including self-registration services in Royal Hospital, documentation policies in Nizwa hospital, as well updating list of medical abbreviation.