HIPE Clinical Coder Education Programme

The Healthcare Pricing Office (HPO) provides training for all personnel involved in HIPE clinical coding throughout the Irish hospital system. Training for HIPE clinical coders is delivered in combination with on-the-job experience, mentoring and training within a Hospital HIPE Department. HIPE clinical coders/HIPE staff must be nominated by their hospitals to participate in this training.

The HIPE Clinical Coding Education Programme consists of a blend of in-person classroom courses, that are held both in the HPO office and regionally, and courses that are delivered via virtual conference facilities. Self-directed learning activities are included in the programme.

The HPO provide training on the current clinical coding classification and on the HIPE Instruction Manual which contains information on demographic and administrative variables. Training is also provided on the use of the HIPE portal software, and HIPE audit and data quality tools.

All training courses are offered subject to numbers requiring training.

2024 HIPE Training Calendar

The training consists of:

When a new HIPE clinical coder (trainee) joins a hospital HIPE Department, and before they attend basic HIPE training courses, the HPO issues them with a Starter Pack. This includes instructions for their supervisor/mentor, in addition to instructions for the trainee. The contents of the pack provide an overview of HIPE and the HIPE clinical coder’s role. The trainee HIPE clinical coder is expected to study the essential reading materials and complete the exercises that are included in the pack. This is done with the guidance of their coding mentor in advance of attending Introduction to HIPE I.

These pre-recorded lectures presented by an expert speaker, provide an overview on the Anatomy & Physiology of various body systems. Links to these lectures are available to HIPE Managers and HIPE clinical coders on request.

This 1 day course is held at the HPO. It is for new HIPE clinical coders who have received and studied their Starter Pack, and completed the exercises within the pack. The course includes a comprehensive overview of HIPE, the patient journey and information flow. It provides training on the variables collected in HIPE, an overview of Activity Based Funding (ABF) and an introduction to medical terminology and medical abbreviations. This course provides new HIPE clinical coders with an opportunity to meet the HIPE education team and other HPO staff that they will be liaising with in relation to their role in HIPE. Participants are also provided with guidance on joining HIPE training courses via WebEx (and/or other virtual meeting facilities). Follow-up exercises are provided for completion on their return to the Hospital. New HIPE clinical coders must attend this course in advance of attending Introduction to HIPE II Click here to apply for this course

This 2- hour training course is delivered remotely, via virtual conference facilities, for HIPE clinical coders who have attended Introduction to HIPE I. This interactive session provides feedback on completed pre-course exercises. During this session the HPO training team monitor the participant’s progress, and provide support, as appropriate. Queries from participants in relation to HIPE and their role are addressed. Information and materials are provided in preparation for Coding Skills I. This course must be completed in advance of Coding Skills I Click here to apply for this course

This two day training course is held at the HPO within two weeks following the Introduction to HIPE II, and provides HIPE clinical coders with an introduction to the ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS classification. It provides training on analysing documentation in the medial record, and abstracting relevant information to be coded. Coding Skills I includes training in the use of the HIPE Portal software. Participants must complete the Introduction to HIPE I & II before attending this course. Click here to apply for this course

Coding Skills II (A)

This three-day training course is held at the HPO, approximately one month after Coding Skills I. The course is centred on clinical coding and clinical coding guidelines for common conditions & diseases and associated interventions and includes HIPE Portal training and an introduction to Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (ADRGs). Participants must complete Introduction to HIPE I & II and Coding Skills I, and in addition are required to complete any pre-course reading and exercises, as appropriate before attending this course. Click here to apply for this course

Coding Skills II (B) Respiratory

This 1 day course focuses on common respiratory conditions, coding and classification guidelines in relation to these conditions, and associated interventions. Participants must complete Coding Skills II (A) before attending this course. Pre-course videos are dispatched for viewing in advance as part of this course. Click here to apply for this course

Coding Skills II (C) Endoscopy

This course includes pre-recorded tutorials and workbooks containing clinical and coding information associated with same-day endoscopies. The tutorials are to be viewed and exercises completed in advance of participating in a half day follow-up course. The half- day follow-up course is centred on the clinical coding of same day endoscopies and the associated clinical coding guidelines. Participants must also have completed Coding Skills II (A) & Coding Skills II (B). Click here to apply for this course

Coding Skills III (A)

This course is held over three days at the HPO, and HIPE clinical coders are invited to participate 3-6 months after completing Coding Skills II. The course aims to consolidate training and work experience and it is expected that HIPE clinical coders will have had significant experience coding within the hospital environment. This course facilitates in-depth discussion of coding scenarios and classification guidelines are provided in conjunction with further training on clinical specialties. This course includes HIPE Portal training. Pre-course reading and exercises are to be completed in advance of the course. Click here to apply for this course

Coding Skills III (B) Circulatory

This 1 day course will concentrate on common circulatory conditions, coding and classification guidelines in relation to these conditions, and associated interventions. Participants must complete Coding Skills II and Coding Skills III (A) before attending this course. Pre-course videos will be dispatched for viewing in advance as part of this course. Click here to apply for this course

Half-day or one-day clinical coding workshops for HIPE clinical coders provide clinical and coding information on specialty areas such as Endoscopies, Neoplasms, Cardiology, Obstetrics, Diabetes and Z-codes. Workshops will primarily address coding issues in depth and also where appropriate will incorporate a guest speaker who is an expert in the area to address the clinical aspects of the topic. HIPE clinical coders are invited to submit specific requests for topics and questions to be covered at specialty workshops. Sessions are also held on Data Quality, Data Quality tools such as HIPE Coding Audit Toolkit (HCAT) and the Checker software. Click here to apply for this course

This course is offered to experienced HIPE clinical coders and held on demand. It is very popular with HIPE clinical coders as they need to maintain their coding skills and update their knowledge in the continually evolving healthcare field. Topics covered in the course are classification theory, coding guidelines, specialty coding and a review of data quality that integrates coding of high frequency conditions and procedures. Click here to apply for this course

For more information on HIPE Clinical Coder Education Programme please contact hipetraining@hpo.ie