Important Things Every New Coder Should Know About ICD-10

by  Find-A-Code™
Feb 17th, 2023

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) system is arguably among the most utilized medical coding systems in the world. It is used extensively here in the U.S. As such, medical coders need to be intimately familiar with it. They do not have to memorize every code – that would be impossible anyway – but they do need to understand the basic structure and how to look up codes they don't know.

If you are new to medical coding, there is no need to feel intimidated by ICD-10. You will get very comfortable with time. Between now and then however, there are some important things you should know about it.

What ICD-10 Actually Is

ICD-10 has been described as a coding system for diseases, injuries, and medical conditions. It has also been described as a catalog for the same. Truth be told, it is both. The system does act as a catalog of all known diseases and medical conditions. Each disease and condition in the catalog is assigned a specific number. Those numbers mean things, demonstrating that ICD-10 is also a coding system.

Where It Came From

Next is the idea of where ICD-10 came from. As its name implies, it is the tenth edition of the ICD, which is primarily a creation of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each new iteration expands on the previous one, offering more detail and adding newly discovered diseases and medical conditions.

Even though the ICD's design is mainly the work of the WHO, many countries have their own versions. The U.S. version is a product of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in conjunction with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

You might be interested to know that the very first edition dates back more than 150 years. The codes contained therein related more to causes of death than general diseases and medical conditions. But as the ICD was expanded, it moved well beyond what was killing people back in the day.

It Includes Two Sets

For use within the United States, ICD-10 is actually divided into two sets of codes. Those two sets are ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. The former offers codes that are used in nearly all healthcare settings. The latter is strictly for hospital inpatient settings. This distinction is important to know for the simple fact that the terms 'ICD-10' and 'ICD-10-CM' are often used interchangeably.

As a medical coder, you will use ICD-10-CM on a daily basis. Your need for ICD-10-PCS will likely not be as great. Just be sure to know when ICD-10-PCS is appropriate so that you utilize the correct codes.

ICD-10 Is More Specific

The transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 was pretty significant. By utilizing a more sophisticated and detailed coding system, ICD-10's developers facilitated more specificity in everything from diseases to injuries and comorbidities to complications. If you're interested in just how specific things became with ICD-10's implementation, consider this: ICD-9 offered just 13,000 codes. ICD-10 offers more than 72,000 codes.

The Codes Have Meaning

Finally, ICD-10 codes have meaning above and beyond just the particular disease or condition they pertain to. The first character in every code is a letter. This refers to the chapter in which the code can be found. The next two characters are numbers. They refer to the condition or disease. All the following characters can be numbers or letters. They pertain to more specific details about the condition.

As a new medical coder, you have a lot to learn about ICD-10. Do not let it get the best of you. Take your time and follow your training. You will eventually be an ICD-10 expert.