The ICD is the International Classification of Diseases. It is a set of codes that is used by medical professionals to code patients and their records. These include death certificates, physician records, hospital records, and all other forms of patient paperwork. The ICD 10 coding guide came into force in 2013, replacing the ICD 9. However, this does not mean that the ICD 9 doesn’t exist anymore. Any patients that were already being treated under an ICD 9 code will continue to be recorded with that code until their treatment has been completed. Although only a few of these patients remain, they do still exist.
The ICD 10 Coding Guide:
As the ICD 9 coding is being phased out, the system itself has gone through a number of significant changes, especially with the codes themselves. The ICD 10 has been implemented almost all over the world now to provide a greater sense of unity across the medical profession. However, it was found that transitioning to this system is very costly, and this means that certain locations, particularly outside of this country, continue to use different or ICD 9 codes. In fact, even in this country, a lot of medical practices haven’t fully implemented the ICD 10 yet.
Understanding The Differences:
There are some major differences between the codes in ICD 9 and ICD 10. The ICD 10 coding guide is a lot more complex and focuses on medical procedures, diagnostics, and more. As such, they have enabled the system to record far more clinical details on each procedure that has been completed. This is necessary in order for the paperwork to keep up with the fast developments in medical technology.
Within the ICD 9 code, it would be normal to have three characters to the left of a decimal point. Additionally, to the right of the decimal point, there would be no more than two digits. In some cases, the code would be preceded by an E or a V. The ICD 10 code, on the other hand, is very different. Each code is broken down into individual chapters, and these chapters have sub-chapters as well. The code consists, first of all, of a letter and two digits, followed by a decimal point. To the right of the decimal point is the disease, which is indicated through letters. For example, a C in front of the code would indicate a diagnosis of cancer or other malignancy. A K means that the patient is suffering from some type of gastrointestinal problem.
While the ICD 10 is much more complex than its predecessor, it does provide much better data. This means that quality of care can be greatly improved. In addition, it is also easier to evaluate how high that quality of care is. Additionally, it has been designed in such a way that new codes can be added to it regularly. As such, rather than having to devise a brand new system in which everybody has to be retrained, new chapters and sub-chapters can simply be added to the system.
