Objective. To compare concordance between physicians and coders in their assignment of diagnoses under International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11).
Methods. A pilot study was conducted at San Juan de Dios Hospital in Curicó, Chile, between March and June 2025, incorporating ICD-11 coding into the clinical services of internal medicine and psychiatry. Eight physicians and two coders were trained in the use of ICD-11, and the domestically developed “Deisy CIE-11” platform was used to validate diagnoses. A total of 457 hospital discharges were analyzed, comparing diagnostic coding performed by physicians, coders, and a national reference expert
Results. For the principal diagnoses, concordance was 96% (439/457) between physicians and coders and 93% (424/457) between physicians and the national reference expert. For secondary diagnoses, concordance exceeded 90% in all fields evaluated. Cohen’s kappa coefficient for concordance between physicians and coders was 0.963. The main errors were associated with omissions in postcoordination and incorrect assignment of the external cause code. The national reference expert reviewed 100% of the records for which information was available.
Conclusions. The pilot study demonstrated a high level of diagnostic concordance among physicians, coders, and the national reference expert in the assignment of diagnostic codes to hospital discharges. However, significant gaps were identified in postcoordination, the recording of external causes, and the standardization of review criteria. These findings provid