The CDC published 29 human trafficking-related codes enabling medical professionals to document sex and labor exploitation.
Here are five details:
1. The new ICD-10 codes are set to take effect in October. They're intended to provide data to understand the scope of human trafficking.
2. The codes will be the first used to document confirmed and suspected cases of forced sex and labor exploitation of patients who visit hospitals or medical facilities for treatment.
3. Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives spearheaded the creation of the codes in collaboration with the AHA's Hospitals Against Violence initiative and clinicians at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital's Human Trafficking Initiative and Freedom Clinic.
4. HAV launched a human trafficking website in July that will provide guidance on documenting and coding human trafficking.
5. A study found nearly 88 percent of sex-trafficking survivors surveyed had contact with a healthcare provider while they were being exploited.
"The adoption of these codes is a huge step forward in combating human trafficking," said AHA Coding and Classification Director Nelly Leon-Chisen. "It will be crucially important for coding professionals to understand how to recognize and use these codes."