Dear Accident Compensation Corporation,

The following webpage on the ACC website http://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/lodge... states and I quote;

"Primary care providers are required to record Read Codes for all diagnosed injuries for ACC claims. Hospitals or secondary care providers can use International Classification of Diseases: 10 (ICDICD-10) codes instead, although can and often do also provide Read Codes."

I respectfully request the provision of the following official information;

1. A copy of the complete list of Read Codes along with the Read Code description (eg. N143. Sciatica) held by ACC as at the 16 December 2014 that ACC used for incapacity and injury registration through ACC.

2. A copy of the complete list of Read Codes along with the Read Code description (eg. N143. Sciatica) held by ACC as at 22 April 2017 that ACC use for incapacity and injury registration through ACC.

3. A complete list of ACC recognised International Classification of Diseases: 10 (ICDICD-10) codes and descriptions as at the 16 December 2014 that ACC used for incapacity and injury registration through ACC.

4. A complete list of ACC recognised International Classification of Diseases: 10 (ICDICD-10) codes and descriptions as at the 22 April 2017, that ACC use for incapacity and injury registration through ACC.

5. from within the complete lists of the Read Codes (Request 2. above) and ACC recognised International Classification of Diseases: 10 (ICDICD-10) codes (Request 4 above) and descriptions at at 22 April 2017, please specifically provide a copy of the separate sublist of each set of codes that are specific to the neurosurgeon/neurosurgical occupational registered field of medicine.

6. confirmation of what identifier/code ACC use to determine that a medical professional is a neurosurgeon on ACC system.

7. confirmation of what identifier/code ACC use to determine that a medical professional is a orthopaedic surgeon on ACC system.

8. confirmation of what identifier/code ACC use to determine that a medical professional is a neurologist in internal medicine on ACC system.

I respectfully request that the requested information is supplied under urgency within 15 working days from todays date, being by the end of business close on the 15 May 2017, for the purposes of review and appeal purposes of several ACC decisions.

Under s16(2) of the Official Information Act, my preferred way of receiving a response is by email to the address from which ACC received the original request, not by post.

I thank you for your time and assistance.

Yours sincerely
David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thank you for your internet reference for the ICD-10 which is really welcome, and also returning to me under urgency as requested.

In terms of your internet reference for the ACC read codes that you have suggested, being http://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/lodge..., I confirm that prior to seeking the full list of the ACC Read Codes via FYI.Org.nz I had tried to download the ACC6343 Read Code reference list (XLS 3.5M) full list unsucessfully several times, as I have again tried to download again today, yet again I have been unable to receive the data.

This seems odd since I have been able to in the past, and can still download now the shortened list of codes for the following treatment providers;

- ACC6344 commonly used codes in physiotherapy (XLS 96K)
- ACC6345 commonly used codes in osteopathy (XLS 178K)
- ACC6350 commonly used codes in chiropractic (XLS 50K)

but I have been repeatedly unable to access the full list ACC6343 Read Code reference list (XLS 3.5M) from the page you recommend being http://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/lodge....

I have sent a PDF document to Government Services today from my email address [email address] which shows that I can access the physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic short listed ACC Read Codes, and a copy of the screen that I receive when attempting to download the full list of Read Codes from ACC6343 Read Code reference list (XLS 3.5M) at http://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/lodge....

Since I am unable to receive the official information that I have requested via the ACC website as recommended in your response received 15 May 2017, and having attempted in excess of 20 times over the past 3 weeks, I respectfully request that ACC supply me as per request 2 and 5 of my original OIA request dated 22 April 2017 the following in PDF format returned through FYI.org.nz;

2. A copy of the complete list of Read Codes along with the Read Code description (eg. N143. Sciatica) held by ACC as at 22 April 2017 that ACC use for incapacity and injury registration through ACC., and also

5. from within the complete lists of the Read Codes (Request 2. above) and ACC recognised International Classification of Diseases: 10 (ICDICD-10) codes (Request 4 above) and descriptions as at 22 April 2017, please specifically provide a copy of the separate sublist of each set of codes that are specific to the neurosurgeon/neurosurgical occupational registered field of medicine.

It would be appreciated if you could supply me with this official information by the end of business close on 18 May 2017, since ACC Government Services advice has not seen me being able to access the information from the ACC website provided, and the fact that I require the information for review and appeal purposes. The information is also easily accessible for government services, and of significant public interest.

Thank you for your time and effort.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson

P.S. The body of the text in my cover email to ACC Government Services of 16/05/12, to which is attached screenshoots of the ACC Read Code Lists with all but the Full List being accessible;

Dear Government Services,

As indicated in my response to ACC Government Services letter received and dated 15 May 2017 replying to my OIA Request of 22 April 2017, I have today responded via FYI.org.nz today seeking the information that I am unable to obtain through the ACC website and download provided.

I attach screen shoots of what I receive when I have tried on over 20 occasions to have had down loaded the full list of Read Codes from ACC6343 Read Code reference list (XLS 3.5M) at http://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/lodge....

Given that my request was made under urgency in the first instance back on the 22 April 2017, to save me any further unnecessary delays in being provided with the information that I have yet to be provided, I respectfully request that the official information from my original requests 2 and 5 in my FYI request of 22 April 2017 are made available to me in full in PDF format, returned through the FYI.org.nz website by the end of business close on the 18 May 2017.

I thank you for your time and assistance.

Kind regards,
David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

I have recently tried to gain access to the PDF Read Code 6343 Read Code Reference List.pdf supplied in response to my OIA request of 16 May 2017, and this PDF keeps coming up as a error.

Can you please resubmit in PDF format the information which is no longer accessible in PDF format being the Read Code 6343 Read Code Reference List.pdf

Thanks and regards.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thanks for your response, once again the PDF ACC6343 Read Code reference list.pdf comes up as an error through the FYI website.

It would be appreciated if you could send me a copy to my email address being [email address], along with a spreadsheet of the same which allows easy access and searchability of the read codes ACC have used.

Thank you and kind regards.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thanks for the PDF copy of the full list of read codes supplied to my email address today and which works well.

Last year I was able to access off the internet a computer searchable full read code spreachsheet which allowed you to locate codes based on key injury/anatomy terminology. This worked really well and was fast.

I am sure it was accessed from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=acc+re... and titled List of all The Read Codes (XLS 3.5MB) - ACC

This side of Christmas I have tried to use what I think is the same downloadable internet read code spreadsheet but it is extremely slow and non functional.

It would be appreciated if you could send me a working copy of this, or an updated and working spreadsheet directly to my email address being [email address] under urgency within the next 5 working days

Thanks for your assistance, and I appreciate your time .

Kind regards,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thanks for the PDF copy of the full list of read codes supplied to my email address today and which works well.

Last year I was able to access off the internet a computer searchable full read code spreachsheet which allowed you to locate codes based on key injury/anatomy terminology. This worked really well and was fast.

I am sure it was accessed from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=acc+re... and titled List of all The Read Codes (XLS 3.5MB) - ACC

This side of Christmas I have tried to use what I think is the same downloadable internet read code spreadsheet but it is extremely slow and non functional.

It would be appreciated if you could send me a working copy of this, or an updated and working spreadsheet directly to my email address being [email address] under urgency within the next 5 working days

Thanks for your assistance, and I appreciate your time .

Kind regards,

David Lawson