Natural family planning OKed

ST. LOUIS -- In what some claim is a gain in legitimacy, the medical coding system used by the government, insurance companies, medical clinics and health care providers now includes two codes specifically for natural family planning.

Having codes for natural family procedures will make it easier to get the procedures covered by insurance and will enhance statistics gathering, according to Diane Daly of the American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals, which promotes natural family planning and women's health and infertility issues while upholding Catholic teaching.

Daly, also director of the Office of Natural Family Planning for the St. Louis archdiocese, headed the academy committee that has worked for the new codes since 2004.

Guidelines for reporting and coding of medical procedures and diagnoses are made by two federal government agencies--the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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