DRG Grouping
In order to group one encounter record:
- Enter one or more ICD-10 diagnosis codes to the Code entry box at the top of the the diagnosis table and press Enter. You can also use the Find function (magnifying glass) to find the correct codes.
- Enter NCSP procedure code(s) to the procedure table similarty with diagnoses. You can also use the Find function.
- Select the patient gender, age, discharge status and length of stay.
The following table presents the input fields in more detail:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Diagnoses | Diagnosis codes can be entered in Code data entry at the top of the table, e.g. try entering "O800" and press Enter. Alternatively you can use search functions which open by clicking the Find diagnosis. Clicking the Star icon swaps the selected diagnosis and the main diagnosis and the case is regrouped immediately. At least one (principal) diagnosis must be entered. |
| Procedures | These fields work exactly the same way as the diagnosis fields. However, unlike the order of diagnoses, the order of procedures does not affect the resulting DRG. |
| Gender | The Gender selection has the following options: male, female or missing data (unknown or erroneous data). |
| Age | Enter the patient's age in years or days if this information is available. Enter the age in days for newborn care. You can also select unknown. Technically (-1) can be used for unknown age, but note that this should be used for newborns only when it's known that age is less than one year but unknown in days. For older patients -1 works technically but results in biased (towards child groups) grouping results. |
| Discharge status | Only few listed discharge statuses codes affect the DRG grouping. If none matches your data, select "End of treatment". |
| Length of stay | Enter the length of stay in days. |
Search Functions
You can search diagnosis and procedure codes by clicking the Find... function. Diagnostic codes can be searched by code, description, principal diagnosis property, diagnosis category, MDC group, diagnosis property, and / or type. Procedure codes can be searched by code, description, procedure property, diagnosis property, OR property, and / or type. Try entering "A1" to the Code field. As a search phrase you can use full words or parts of a word. When you find the appropriate code, click the row and then Add to transfer the code to the main window in next free DG or PR entry cell.
DRG versions
Select the primary version from selection top-left. This selects which grouper version is used both for primary DRG result, DRG weights, search functiona and DRG logic including CC analyses. You may use also Comparison DRG version (bottom right) which selected the version for comparison of DRG output side-by-side.
Logex supports and keeps in VisualDRG current production version (PR1) and at most five older production versions. Depending on country, also latest planning version (PL0 or PL1) may be provided in VisualDRG.
Using Diagnosis Pairs
VisualDRG Web uses the diagnosis pair information exactly the same way as described in the NordDRG manual. It is important to distinguish between two separately given diagnoses (principal diagnosis and secondary diagnosis) and one diagnosis pair that contains two codes: the symptom and the etiology. A code marked with an asterisk (*) represents the symptoms or manifestations of a disease. These codes are not used alone when classifying according to the ICD. A second code, marked with a dagger (+) indicating the etiology of the disease is needed. The two codes define one diagnosis.
When entering pairs the codes must be given by using format: "symptom code*etiology code" or "etiolohy code+symptom code". Try entering "M073*L405" to the code column of the diagnosis table.
Grouping Results
The following table describes the grouping result fields:
| Result Field | Description |
|---|---|
| DRG | This is the main result from the grouping process, the DRG code for the current encounter data. |
| MDC | MDC is the Main Diagnosis Category which can usually be calculated if the principal diagnosis code is provided in the encounter record data. |
| Return code | The Return Code includes information on how the grouping process was executed and will also reveal possible errors during the process. The possible codes are: 0 = Grouping completed technically 1 = No principal diagnosis 2 = Gender of the patient is missing 3 = Gender of the patient is incoherent with the diagnosis 4 = Patient is too young for current diagnosis 5 = Patient is too old for current diagnosis 6 = Error in the age of the patient (>125) 7 = Rare or false combination of diagnosis and procedure 8 = Principal diagnosis not applicable 9 = Other error A = OR procedure for hemangioma B = Unspecified or impossible |
| Grouping rule ID | The ID of the DRG grouping rule that allows you to open the actual rule used for grouping this case in a new window. The oldeset versions of DRG groupers do not have this information available. |
Status Information
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| V = Used for Grouping | If the input information row (diagnosis, procedure, additional information) has the  symbol right to the field, then that information has had an effect on the resulting DRG group. |
| (!) = error | Possible causes of the errors can be seen by hoverig over the error flag: o Error: diagnosis/procedure code is not valid o External cause as a primary diagnosis o Manifestation diagnosis as an etiological diagnosis o ATC code as a manifestation diagnosis o ATC code without a manifestation diagnosis o Manifestation diagnosis without an etiological diagnosis |
| text CC or MCC in bold after the diagnosis or procedure name | Some DRGs have variants for cases with and without complications. A secondary diagnosis has affected the selection of the group with complication and comorbidities if the CC if displayed after the name. MCC means major complications and comorbidities. Note that MCC Status "major complications and comorbidities" is used only in some NordDRG versions. |
| OR property | Procedures can have a so called OR property. If there is text "OR" after procedure's name, then the procedure has been defined as a surgical operation to be performed in an operating room. |