So why is this so important? Because quite frankly, the current coding system can’t take healthcare into the future. The data needs in healthcare today are dramatically different than they were 30 years ago when the current system (ICD-9) was introduced. There have been many new conditions discovered, many new treatments developed, and many new types of medical devices have been placed into service. The ICD-9 code set was not designed to capture all of this progress, nor does it have the flexibility to adapt as medicine changes.

The new ICD-10 codes, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), include input from each physician specialty within the United States. There will now be 69,000 codes (up from 14,000) to choose from to better help identify and pinpoint a greater level of detail in patient care. 

We are excited about this change and the opportunities it provides for advancing healthcare- below are just a few. We’ve also included some links to resources to help you better navigate through the change.

• Quality and Measurement: The new codes have the potential to provide better data for evaluating and improving the quality of patient care. That means there will be better ways to measure patient conditions, medical safety and health outcomes, which will help improve care and better manage diseases over time.
• Global Information Sharing: The US is the last industrialized nation to adopt the ICD-10 codes.  This makes it difficult to share disease data internationally at a time when such sharing is critical for public health. Adoption of ICD-10-CM also would facilitate international comparisons of quality of care and the sharing of best practices globally.
• More Accurate Research: ICD-10 codes are more effective at capturing public health diseases given their specificity.  They were developed using a logical numerical system to reduce coding errors. This will allow for more in-depth research that can lead to improved care and new opportunities in health services.
• Improved Services: ICD-10’s increased specificity means providers will be able to better evaluate the effectiveness of new medical procedures, as well as the performance of existing procedures. The new codes will also help better allocate resources to ensure patients have access to new services.

CMS has developed a comprehensive page, the Roadto10, which provides tools and resources to help guide physicians through the change, including an FAQ, testimonials, webcasts and a complete list of codes, which can be accessed on this page.

CMS has also put together additional guidance to help providers get ready for the transition, and also allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD-10 code set.

You can also check out our last blog, which gives tips on how to prepare for ICD-10.