The final version of the 2021 procedure coding (OPS) system released in Germany

In late October 2020, the BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) has published the final version of the OPS 2021 (Operation and Procedure Keys) system. The OPS, together with the ICD-10-GM (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, German Modification), forms the basis for the reimbursement systems in outpatient and inpatient care.

Two hundred seventy-eight (278) proposals, submitted by representatives of the professional societies and associations, health insurance companies, and healthcare institutions, were incorporated in the OPS 2021.

Numerous content updates and new procedure codes inclusion concern chapters 1 "Diagnostic measures", 5 "Operations" and 8 "Non-operative therapeutic measures". In chapter 9, "Supplementary measures," the sub-chapter 9-20, "Elaborate patient care," was excluded, and multiple content updates were made. Also, minor changes (mostly descriptive) were introduced in chapter 3, "Diagnostic imaging".

The most important content changes in OPS 2021 include:

• Introduction of new codes for the determination of the ventilation status and the ventilation weaning potential and the prolonged ventilation weaning within specialized intensive care and non-intensive care ventilation weaning unit (1-717 ff., 8-718.7 ff., 8-718.8 ff.)
• Revision of the codes for stroke treatment (8-981 ff., 8-98b ff.)
• Introduction of multiple codes for genetic diagnostics, including codes for low-resolution and high-resolution HLA typing in myeloid and lymphatic neoplasms (1-941.2, 1-941.3), as well as codes for the (targeted) analysis of genetic changes in solid malignant neoplasms and high-throughput sequencing methods [NGS] for the study of genetic alterations in solid malignant neoplasms (1-992 ff., 1-995 ff., 1-996 ff.)
• Restructuring of the codes for operations on the spine (5-83).

Also, the additional localization specification for the vascular prosthesis is added for the procedure codes 5-380 to 5-383, 5-386, 5-388, 5-389, and 5-395 to 5-397 (9m↔, a7↔).

The OPS 2021 can be found here.

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