For the maintenance of the classifications there is close collaboration of Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) with national and international organisations.
There is close collaboration between BfArM and the World Health Organization on the maintenance of ICD-10 and ICD-O-3. To institutionalize this collaboration BfArM was designated WHO Collaborating Center for the Family of International Health Classifications. BfArM has already taken part in the work of several committees of the WHO Collaborating Centers since several years.
There is close collaboration between BfArM, Austria and Switzerland. The German language edition of ICD-10, ICD-10-WHO, is a common edition of the three countries. There is further information on this collaboration and on the exchange of experiences on our web pages.
The National Board for Classification in Health Care (Kuratorium für die Klassifikation im Gesundheitswesen, KKG) acts as an advisory body to the Federal Ministry for Health on all problems related to medical classifications. Its agency is located at BfArM The KKG consists of the main bodies of the German health care system.
In health telematics and eHealth, in particular, only the consistent use of standards can ensure interoperability. For that reason, BfArM is represented on standardisation committees in an advisory role.
The Iris Institute is an international cooperation for the deployment, maintenance and development of the Iris software, an electronic system for automated coding of causes of death in increasing international demand.