HCUP Methods Series - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Example—Procedure codesMulti-level CCS procedure category 7.2 is created through PRLEVL2.TXT by usingsingle-level CCS category 44—which captures all relevant ICD-9-CM codes (see Box 2).Multi-level CCS procedure categories 7.1.1—7.2.5 are created through $PRLVL3.TXT.Individual ICD-9-CM codes are assigned separately to the appropriate multi-level CCSprocedure category.Thus by running both types of text file programs (PRLEVL2.TXT and $PRLVL3.TXT) youwill incorporate ICD-9-CM codes into each level of the multi-level CCS—either by usingsingle-level CCS categories or the individual ICD-9-CM codes.Using translation filesHow you use the translation files will depend on the software system being used. Forexample, if you are using SAS, you can adapt these translations to create a SAS PROCFORMAT. If you are using SPSS, you can adapt these translations into VALUELABELS or into a series of recodes.Representation of ICD-9-CM diagnosis codesIn practice, ICD-9-CM diagnoses are represented by 3- to 5-character codes with explicitdecimals. In the files you downloaded and in the vast majority of data files, ICD-9-CMdiagnoses are represented as 5-character alphanumeric codes with implicit decimals.(Alphanumeric codes are always enclosed in quotation marks.) Examples are givenbelow.ConditionICD-9-CMAlphanumeric codediagnosis code (with implicit decimals)Pneumococcal pneumonia 481 '481 'Pneumonia due to KlebsiellapneumoniaePneumonia due toEscherichia coliSingle liveborn infant, born inhospital, delivered bycesarean delivery482.0 '4820 '482.82 '48282'V30.01 'V3001'HCUP CCS 6/16/2004 13