It allows for the classification of the patient’s reason for encounter (RFE), the problems/diagnosis managed, primary care interventions, and the ordering of the data of the primary care session in an episode of care structure.
ICPC-2 PLUS provides a list of possible terms matching a keyword (or start of a keyword) entered by the user. The user then selects the most appropriate term. Each term is already classified to ICPC-2 rubrics and a system of additional groupers that may include terms from multiple ICPC-2 rubrics.
ICPC-2 PLUS (also known as the BEACH coding system) is a clinical terminology classified to the International Classification of Primary Care, Version 2 (ICPC-2). ICPC-2 PLUS is a user-friendly coding system, allowing health professionals to record symptoms, diagnoses (problem labels), past health problems and processes (such as procedures, counselling and referrals) at the point of care. ICPC-2 PLUS can be used in age-sex disease registers, morbidity registers and full electronic health records in primary care. It currently contains approximately 8,000 terms that are commonly used in Australian general practice.
ICPC-2 PLUS is primarily used in Australia. It is installed in various software packages and used in electronic health record (EHR) systems by approximately 3,200 GPs in more than 500 practices throughout Australia. It is also used in research projects, including the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health) program, the national study of general practice activity. The terminology is therefore often referred to as the BEACH coding system.
The terminology is maintained and regularly updated by the National Centre for Classification in Health (NCCH), at the University of Sydney. Users of ICPC-2 PLUS are actively involved in the ongoing development of the terminology.
If you are developing a software program, either for clinical or research purposes, and would like to consider using the ICPC-2 PLUS terminology, see the Developers section of the website.
If you are purchasing an EHR system that incorporates ICPC-2 PLUS and would like to use it for coding your health information, see the End Users section of the website.