Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services 2026–27 

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Products and licenses

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) publishes a number of products for:

  • Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (AR-DRG)
  • International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM)
  • Australian Classification of Health Interventions (ACHI)
  • Australian Coding Standards (ACS).

These classification systems are produced in the form of books, mapping tables and Electronic Code Lists. The purchase and delivery of these products is managed by our publishing partner Lane Print.

A list of the products and prices are available on the Lane Print website as well as frequently asked questions.

Contact information

All enquiries regarding licences should be made via the contact information below.

Email: Classification.Licensing@ihacpa.gov.au

Phone: +61 2 8215 1100

The manuals, or classification books, for the classification systems include:

  • ICD-10-AM Tabular List
  • ICD-10-AM Alphabetic Index
  • ACHI Tabular List
  • ACHI Alphabetic Index
  • Australian Coding Standards

There are no restrictions for purchasing the books if you are located within Australia. Purchasing the classification books can be done by applying for a Professional account through the Lane Print website.

Any students that are enrolled in an Australian clinical coding or health information management course that require the use of the Manuals are eligible for a discount. These discounts are accessed by applying for a Student account through the Lane Print website.

Users from countries that have a licence agreement with IHACPA are able to purchase the classification books by applying for a Professional account through the Lane Print website.

Electronic Code Lists (ECLs) are electronic files that are used in the development of software or are integrated into existing patient software using the ICD-10-AM and ACHI codes for private or commercial purposes.

The products available under an ECL licence include:

  • ICD-10-AM ECLs
  • ACHI ECLs

In addition to the cost of the ECL, licence fees are applicable when purchasing the ECL products and vary in price depending on the user group.

Entities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission are eligible for a free licence when used in Australia.

Research and academic institutions intending to use electronic resources for relevant research may also obtain a free licence.

Below is a table that outlines the different licence types and prices (excluding GST) for the ECLs:

User group Licence agreement Licence fee Code List fee per ECL
Organisation (access by 1-20 users) ECL Nil $500
Organisation (access by 20+ users) ECL Nil $1,000
Software vendor (small business entity) Software developer $2,000 $2,000
Software vendor (non-small business entity) Software developer $11,250 $2,000
Researcher / academic ECL (Researcher) N/A N/A
Registered entity of Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission ECL (Charity/not-for-profit) N/A N/A

For further information on which editions of the ECLs are available, or to apply for a licence agreement, please visit the Lane Print website.

Countries wishing to use the AR-DRG or ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS classification systems or products are required to enter into a licence agreement with IHACPA.

Country licence agreements are strictly government-to-government. As such, IHACPA will only sign licence agreements with government agencies and financial quotes or payments will only be communicated to and accepted from government agencies.

Organisations that are not a government agency require a letter of authorisation from a government agency to act on its behalf in discussing country licence agreements.

Components available to licensees via the licence agreement include grouper software, training and user documentation. There are two types of agreements for country licences:

  • Use only – the licenced country has the right to implement the system within its territories without modification.
  • Develop – the licenced country has the right to use the products as a base, with the option of further developing aspects to accommodate the local system.

Formal requests for a country licence agreement, including the free 12 month trial, must be made by emailing the Licensing team.

Country AR-DRG Version ICD-10-AM / ACHI / ACS Edition Purchased right Date of expiry
Bahrain* Version 8.0 Ninth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Bosnia and Herzegovina Version 5.2 Fifth Edition Develop Indefinite
Bulgaria Version 6.0 Seventh Edition Develop Indefinite
Croatia* Version 11.0 Twelfth Edition Develop Indefinite
Fiji Version 10.0 Eleventh Edition Use Only Indefinite
Ireland* Version 11.0 Twelfth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Lithuania Version 8.0 Ninth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Macedonia* Version 5.2 Fifth Edition Develop Indefinite
Moldova Version 6.0 Seventh Edition Use Only Indefinite
New Zealand* Version 11.0 Twelfth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Montenegro Version 6.0 Seventh Edition Develop Indefinite
Qatar* Version 10.0 Eleventh Edition Right to use Indefinite
Saudi Arabia* Version 9.0 Tenth Edition Develop Indefinite
Serbia* Version 11.0 Twelfth Edition Develop Indefinite
Singapore* Version 6.0 Sixth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Slovenia* Version 11.0 Twelfth Edition Use Only Indefinite
Tonga Version 10.0 Eleventh Edition Use Only Indefinite
Tuvalu Version 10.0 Eleventh Edition Use Only Indefinite
Turkey Version 6.0 Seventh Edition Develop Indefinite
Ukraine Version 9.0 Tenth Edition Develop Indefinite

*Licence agreements with these countries require Commercial authorisation for software distributors within that country. Please contact the Licensing team for assistance in seeking this authorisation.

Countries with expired licence agreements are detailed below.

Country AR-DRG Version ICD-10-AM / ACHI / ACS Edition Purchased right Date of expiry
Costa Rica Version 4.2     02/02/2004
Croatia Version 5.2 Fifth Edition Develop 19/06/2012
Czech Republic Version 6.0 Sixth Edition Evaluation 18/09/2010
Denmark DRG Toolkit     01/01/2001
Fiji  - Third Edition Develop 23/02/2011
Germany Version 4.1 First Edition Develop 02/11/2005
Hungary Version 7.0 Eighth Edition Evaluation 25/09/2014
Iran Version 9.0 Tenth Edition Evaluation 29/04/2020
Malaysia Version 5.0 Third Edition Evaluation 3/08/2003
Philippines Version 6.0 Seventh Edition Evaluation 13/02/2013
Romania Version 5.0 Third Edition Develop 29/07/2010
Samoa - Third Edition Develop 23/02/2011
Solomon Islands - Third Edition Develop 23/02/2011
South Africa Version 5.2 Fifth Edition Evaluation 19/01/2008
Switzerland Version 4.1 Fourth Edition Evaluation 31/12/2006
Tonga - Third Edition Develop 23/02/2011
United Kingdom Version 6.0 Sixth Edition Evaluation 09/02/2010

Certified AR-DRG grouper software

IHACPA has certified AR-DRG grouper software since AR-DRG V10.0. Certification of AR-DRG grouper software validates accuracy of the grouping results only. Other functions developed by software vendors within or associated with AR-DRG grouper software are not certified or endorsed by IHACPA.

A list of software vendors certified by IHACPA for AR-DRG V10.0 onwards is provided below. For information on certified AR-DRG groupers available for versions prior to AR-DRG Version 10.0, please contact the vendor.

Certified vendors AR-DRG V10.0 AR-DRG V11.0
All Claims Yes   
Casemix Classifications International Yes Yes
Data Agility   Yes
EIS Yes Yes
Greenlake Medical Yes Yes
iMedX Australia  Yes Yes
IQVIA Yes Yes
Karol Consulting   Yes
NANO Health Suite Yes Yes
Plato Yes Yes
PowerHealth Yes Yes
TachyHealth Yes  

Cessation of support for old AR-DRG versions

IHACPA in consultation with stakeholders, published a timeline for phasing out support for older versions of the AR-DRG classification. The timeline was revised when ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS and AR-DRGs moved to a 3 year development cycle. See the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

From 1 July 2025 IHACPA only supports AR-DRG V9.0 and subsequent versions. Phasing out support for AR-DRG versions means that for AR-DRG V8.0 and prior IHACPA will not:

  • implement mapping fixes, or provide amended grouper specifications or grouper certification for old versions to adjust for coding changes that have a significant impact on AR-DRG grouping
  • undertake impact analysis of coding or AR-DRG changes on old versions
  • accept public or other submissions specific to an old version
  • publish cost reports that contain old versions
  • provide grouper specifications for old versions to grouper vendors
  • provide manuals or publications for old versions.

ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS software

The following is a non-exhaustive list of external vendors licensed to provide ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS software. This software is not certified or endorsed by IHACPA. For further information on the software available, please contact the vendor.

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