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NTEE Classification Challenges: Voluntary Health Organizations & Medical Research (Technical Note)

Coding voluntary health organizations and organizations involved in medical research can sometimes be challenging do to the idiosyncrasies of the NTEE, namely, the codes in Major Group G – Diseases, Disorders, Medical Disciplines and Major Group H – Medical Research are not mutually exclusive. Does an organization that is active in the prevention or treatment of lung cancer belong in G30 – Cancer or in G45 – Lung Disease? Similarly, should organizations that conduct research on Parkinson’s Disease be classified as an H5- Nerve, Muscle, Bone Research organization or as an H80 – Specifically Named Disease Research organization?

The following criterion has been drawn up to help coders successfully code these organizations consistently and help researchers understand the logic behind code placement.

1. All cancers, whether or not they affect specific organs or systems of the body or are known by specific names are classified in the G30 – Cancer or H30 Cancer Research decile level.

2. If the organization is not involved in cancer research or in the prevention and treatment of cancer, the next question to ask is if the disease that the organization is involved with can be identified by a specific organ or body system. If the answer is yes, then the correct coding would be the most appropriate code between G20/H20 and G70/H70.

3. If the organization is not involved in either cancer research or in its prevention and treatment, nor is it involved in research or in the prevention and treatment of a disease that can be coded by its organ type of body system, but it does have a name, use the appropriate code in the G80/H80 – Specifically Named Diseases level.

4. If the organization to be coded is not involved with cancer, is not limited to a specific organ or body system, and does not have a specific name, use the G99/H99 – Not Elsewhere Classified code.

5. All organizations that represent physicians or that conduct research on medical specialties are coded in the G90/H90 – Medical Specialties/Disciplines level. This includes medical professional societies even though there is a Common Code for professional societies. For example, the American College of Clinical Oncology should be coded as a G90 - Medical Disciplines organization and not as a G03 – Professional Societies, Associations or G30 – Cancer organization.