ϱdatabase standards and technical updates, winter 2024
This bulletin describes fiscal year 2025–2026 plans for CIHI’s classifications and terminologies, Clinical Administrative Databases (CAD) and education products.
Travel burden for hospital care in Canada
On December 10, 2024, ϱreleased Travel burden for hospital care in Canada — a set of resources to aid in understanding the travel burden faced by patients across Canada who receive hospital care.
This analysis was developed in consultation with stakeholders from across Canada, particularly those representing rural and remote regions where the need to travel to receive hospital care can present a barrier for patients and significant expense to health care systems. The analysis combines travel distance, transportation availability and patient characteristics to create a novel 5-point scale of relative travel burden that can be applied to any inpatient hospitalizations and used to paint a comparative picture of travel burden.
Classifications and terminologies updates
Emergency Department Intervention Value Set (EDVS) version 2.3 released
Version 2.3 of the EDVS has been released and can be found in CIHI’s online store. This version aligns with the February and May 2024 releases of the SNOMED CT Canadian Edition (SNOMED CT CA). Please note that not all SNOMED CT CA terms include a French translation because not all of SNOMED CT CA has been translated to date.
ICD-10-CA code title change for mpox (monkeypox)
The ICD-10-CA code title for B04 has changed to Mpox [monkeypox]. This change will take effect April 1, 2025. There is no change to the classification of mpox. It is still classified to B04 Mpox [monkeypox] per previous direction.
Proposed changes to Canadian Coding Standards for ICD-10-CA and CCI (CCS)
In response to client feedback, we continue to streamline and modernize the CCS. This work includes retiring coding standards when coding direction is found in the classification (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related ϱ Problems, 10th Revision, Canada [ICD-10-CA] or Canadian Classification of ϱ Interventions [CCI]) and removing content that does not provide coding direction (e.g., educational, clinical and legislative content). It also includes removing optional coding; consolidating directive statements, notes and exception notes; retiring or refreshing examples; writing in clearer language; and restructuring the content. For information about the status of the CCS changes, refer to Canadian Coding Standards Proposed Changes (XLSX).
Download CCS proposed changes (XLSX)
Version year updates for CCI, CCS and ICD-10-CA
ϱis embarking upon a multi-year roadmap to modernize acute and ambulatory care and hospital data. Highlights include postponement of new versions of CCI and the CCS until 2027–2028, and the release of the 2025–2026 ICD-10-CA/CCI Classification Tables in October 2024. To align with the World ϱ Organization (WHO), which froze ICD-10 at the 2019 version, ICD-10-CA will be frozen at version 2022.
Go to version year update details
Updated eQuery list of archived and revised questions
The updated eQuery Questions: Archived and Revised, and Coding Direction in eQuery Only is now available. It lists archived coding questions and coding questions that were closed and posted or that were posted only for revised responses, or for which direction was provided in eQuery between April 1, 2018, and December 31, 2024.
Download eQuery questions list (XLSX)
Change requests for next version of CCI (v2027)
Updates to the status of change requests for the next version of CCI are now available. This document provides a full list of requests for enhancing CCI, the status of the request and the decision rationale. Approved requests will appear in the next version of CCI.
Download CCI change requests for v2027 (XLSX)
ϱSNOMED CT to ICD map release update
The ϱSNOMED CT CA to ICD-10-CA reference set and the Pan-Canadian ϱ Concern Value Set (PHCVS) will be updated quarterly to align with the release of SNOMED CT CA. The current version aligns with the August 30 release of SNOMED CT CA and was published on November 6. It can be found on CIHI’s health information software vendors web page and in CIHI’s online store.
To learn more about maps and opportunities for pilot testing, please visit our web page about CIHI’s SNOMED CT CA to classifications maps.
Go to SNOMED CT CA to classifications maps page
ICD-11 project updates
The Classifications and Terminologies department is actively assessing Canada’s readiness for ICD-11. Here are some updates on ICD-11 projects:
- Pan-Canadian ICD-11 Implementation Task Force: We are in the process of identifying jurisdictional representatives to join the task force. Once these representatives are confirmed, a meeting will be scheduled.
- French translation: We are collaborating with WHO and the French WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC) Collaborating Centre to validate the French translation of the ICD-11 MMS (Mortality and Morbidity Statistics). This process will ensure that the French terms used are accurate and appropriate.
- Impact assessment activities: We are actively conducting impact assessment activities related to ICD-11. Our efforts are focused on determining the need for a country-specific version; developing crosswalks to facilitate transition; assessing adoption impacts on federal and jurisdictional data systems and CIHI’s health indicators; and evaluating the clinical utility of ICD-11 across various health care settings, including primary health care and mental health.
CAD: DAD and NACRS updates
2025–2026 facility testing requirements
2025–2026 is not a major change year for the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) and National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). Only facilities that have changed vendors, have undergone major system changes or are newly reporting to the DAD and/or NACRS in 2025–2026 are required to complete facility testing. Those facilities must inform the CAD team prior to submitting any test files for 2025–2026.
Contact
If you are one of the above-mentioned facilities, send an email to
Existing DAD and NACRS submitting facilities that do not fall into any of the categories above are not required to complete facility testing in 2025–2026. Once a vendor has successfully completed vendor testing, a facility may proceed with submitting the DAD Institution File (IF) and/or NACRS Facility Information File (FIF), followed by facility data, to the Live environment after April 1, 2025.
For more information, please refer to the DAD and NACRS Submission Manual (available in CIHI’s online store) and the facility testing job aid. These resources are accessible through the DAD/NACRS Abstracting Manual web tool.
Go to DAD/NACRS Abstracting Manual tool
Note: The testing process for facilities in Manitoba and Alberta is coordinated through the provincial department and ministry of health, respectively.
2025–2026 vendor specifications
2025–2026 changes for the DAD and NACRS are limited to those required for a successful rollover to the new fiscal year. Such changes include updated valid date ranges, file-naming convention and case-mix/classification validation tables. Vendor specifications for 2025–2026 was released in early December 2024.
Reminder: Download regrouped historical data (case-mix methodology year 2024)
ϱhas disseminated data regrouped to the 2024 case-mix methodologies for all 5 historical years. 4 closed years of data (2019–2020, 2020–2021, 2021–2022 and 2022–2023) were disseminated in May 2024, and the most recently closed year of data (2023–2024) was disseminated in July 2024.
These regrouped historical data files will be available until March 31, 2025, via ϱprofile functions (log in to ϱ> My Services > Operational Reports). Users should ensure they download all applicable data files before the deadline.
For details, please refer to the April 2024 regrouped historical data bulletin on CIHI’s website.
Download regrouped historical data bulletin (PDF)
Data quality documentation updates
Data Quality Documentation, Discharge Abstract Database — Current-Year Information, 2023–2024 and Data Quality Documentation, National Ambulatory Care Reporting System — Current-Year Information, 2023–2024 are now available on CIHI’s website. These documents are produced on an annual basis and provide information on the quality of the data file for the given fiscal year.
Download DAD data quality documentation (PDF)
Download NACRS data quality documentation (PDF)
Open-year data quality (OYDQ) reports and test specifications
As part of CIHI’s commitment to quality data, we routinely analyze DAD and NACRS data for data quality issues, and we produce quarterly open-year data quality (OYDQ) products for submitting facilities, health ministries and other stakeholders involved in data submission and data quality.
Open-year data quality facility reports communicate suspect data quality issues to submitting facilities for investigation and correction while the database is still open for submission.
If you have access to the DAD and NACRS Operational Reports, log in and select Operational Reports > DAD or NACRS > Open Year Data Quality Reports.
If you do not have access to our operational reports, learn about accessing our services on our general help and FAQ page.
Go to general help and FAQ page
The most current OYDQ facility reports will be available mid-February 2025.
ϱis also releasing Open-Year Data Quality Test Specifications documents to accompany the DAD and NACRS OYDQ reports and help clients create their own data quality audits. These documents will also be available mid-February 2025 on the DAD and NACRS metadata pages.
Updates to provisional data timeliness tables
The DAD and NACRS Provisional Data Timeliness data tables are updated monthly as part of CIHI’s efforts to provide timely and reliable data. These data tables provide metrics of the timeliness of the current open-year DAD and NACRS data and can be accessed on CIHI’s web page on provisional data resources.
Go to provisional data resources page
2025–2026 DAD and NACRS abstracting manuals coming soon
ϱis pleased to provide its clients with the DAD Abstracting Manual, 2025–2026 and the NACRS Abstracting Manual, 2025–2026. Both will be available in mid-February 2025. Each manual will include a table of changes as the first item in the table of contents. These tables will summarize content changes that apply to all provinces and territories, as well as jurisdiction-specific updates.
Accessing the manuals
For Core Plan clients
- Select Submit data and view standards on CIHI’s website and choose Submission support resources from the drop-down menu.
- Select DAD and NACRS: Abstracting Manual in the data submission tools listing.
- Registered users who do not have the DAD/NACRS Abstracting Manual service will need to submit a request using the Request Access: New/Revoke tool found in their ϱprofile.
- Non-registered users will first need to create a ϱprofile: choose Register at the top right of CIHI’s website.
Contact
If you require any assistance with ϱprofiles or submitting an access request, email
For all other clients
Clients who do not subscribe to the Core Plan can order the manuals via CIHI’s online store:
- From the alphabetical publications list, select DAD Abstracting Manual or NACRS Abstracting Manual.
- Add the manual(s) to your cart and then sign in using your user ID and password.
Contact
If you do not have an account or require assistance with ordering, email
Education
What people are saying about ϱcourses
1337E-Coding Knee Joint Replacements
“. . . the best total knee replacement course I have taken so far.”
606E-Exploring the Lower GI Tract With CCI
“I am coding endoscopy in my institution, and the thorough explanation in this course is very helpful to me to understand and refresh my knowledge using the CCI.”
853E-Hip Joint Replacement
“As a refresher in coding, this course helps me to understand how to pick the codes accurately.”
1195E-Changes to Mental and Behavioural Disorders
(course within 5005E-Destination: v2022 Canadian Coding Standards and Classifications)
“Mental health is a very, very complicated case and it is really helpful to code.”
Education catalogues
Don’t miss out! Browse our catalogues today. With over 300 learning products in a variety of areas, we’re sure to have something that meets everyone’s needs — and our online courses will fit everybody’s schedule.
Contact
If you have questions about educational materials, email
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for ϱ Information. ϱdatabase standards and technical updates, winter 2024. Accessed April 6, 2025.
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