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About ICD-10
ICD-10-CM/PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinical
modification / Procedure Coding System) consists of two parts:
1. ICD-10-CM for diagnosis coding
2. ICD-10-PCS for inpatient procedure coding
ICD-10-CM is for use in all U.S. health care settings. Diagnosis coding under
ICD-10-CM uses 3 to 7 digits instead of the 3 to 5 digits used with ICD-9-CM, but
the format of the code sets is similar.
ICD-10-PCS is for use in U.S. inpatient hospital settings only. ICD-10-PCS
uses 7 alphanumeric digits instead of the 3 or 4 numeric digits used under ICD-9-CM
procedure coding. Coding under ICD-10-PCS is much more specific and substantially
different from ICD-9-CM procedure coding.
The transition to ICD-10 is occurring because ICD-9 produces limited data about
patients’ medical conditions and hospital inpatient procedures. ICD-9 is 30 years
old, has outdated terms, and is inconsistent with current medical practice. Also,
the structure of ICD-9 limits the number of new codes that can be created, and many
ICD-9 categories are full.
Who Needs to Transition?
ICD-10 will affect diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding for everyone covered
by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), not just those
who submit Medicare or Medicaid claims. Everyone covered by HIPAA who transmits
electronic claims must also switch to Version 5010 transaction standards. The change
to ICD-10 does not affect CPT coding for outpatient procedures.
Health care providers, payers, clearinghouses, and billing services must be prepared
to comply with the Version 5010 and ICD-10 transitions, which means:
• Health care providers, payers, billing services, clearinghouses, and other organizations
that conduct electronic transactions should complete internal testing of Version
5010 systems in time to begin external testing with each other by January 1, 2011.
• All electronic claims submitted on or after January 1, 2012, must use Version
5010 transaction standards. Electronic claims that do not use Version 5010 standards
cannot be paid.
• ICD-10 diagnosis codes must be used for all health care services provided in the
U.S. on or after October 1, 2013. ICD-10 procedure codes must be used for all hospital
inpatient procedures performed on or after October 1, 2013. Claims with ICD-9 codes
for services provided on or after October 1, 2013, cannot be paid.
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