AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS - 2021 Issue 4; Section X-New Technology
Changes to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting
A summary of the modifications to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting are included below. The complete guidelines may be downloaded by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm The modifications are published below using the following format: Narrative changes appear in bold text (e.g., severe sepsis) Items underlined were moved within the guidelines since January 1, 2021 (e.g., severe sepsis) Deletions are shown as strikeouts (e.g., severe sepsis) Italics are used to indicate revisions to heading changes Section I. Conventions, general coding guidelines and chapter specific guidelines B. General Coding Guidelines . . . 2. Level of Detail...
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This premium article reviews recent updates to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. It is aimed at coding professionals, auditors, compliance teams, and others who need to understand how the official guidance was revised across general principles, select chapter-specific topics, and outpatient reporting guidance. The article provides a structured summary of changes and highlights the areas of coding guidance affected so readers can assess relevance to their work.
Why This Topic Matters
Guideline updates can affect diagnosis reporting, documentation review, and code selection practices across multiple specialties and encounter types. Understanding the scope of these changes helps coders and compliance staff stay aligned with current ICD-10-CM reporting guidance.
Article Sections
-
Section I. Conventions, general coding guidelines and chapter specific guidelines
Introduces updates to general ICD-10-CM coding conventions and broad documentation rules. Also includes selected chapter-specific guidance addressed in the revision summary.
-
Chapter 1: Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Covers updates related to selected infectious disease topics, including HIV-related guidance and coronavirus-related coding references. This section also notes revisions tied to follow-up and post-infection conditions.
-
Chapter 2: Neoplasms
Summarizes changes affecting neoplasm sequencing and a specific lymphoma-related topic. The section focuses on diagnosis classification guidance within the neoplasm chapter.
-
Chapter 4: Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases
Addresses diabetes-related guideline updates and related long-term medication reporting concepts. The section includes both primary and secondary diabetes-related guidance.
-
Chapter 5: Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders
Reviews updates related to psychoactive substance use and associated medical conditions. It also includes guidance involving alcohol-related laboratory findings.
-
Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System
Summarizes an update involving hypertension-related ophthalmic coding guidance. The section addresses how the relevant circulatory system chapter guidance is presented in the revisions.
-
Chapter 12: Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue
Covers updates related to pressure ulcer staging guidance. The section includes a topic involving stage determination after debridement.
-
Chapter 13: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue
Includes a brief cross-reference to multisystem inflammatory syndrome guidance. The section points readers to related infectious disease chapter guidance.
-
Chapter 15: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Puerperium
Summarizes obstetric guideline updates covering trimester reporting, diabetes in pregnancy, substance use in pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum complications. It also includes guidance related to peripartum and postpartum conditions.
-
Chapter 18: Symptoms, signs, and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
Addresses coma scale-related guidance and related symptom coding issues. The section includes reporting considerations for coma-related classification in specific settings.
-
Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes
Covers selected injury coding guidance for burns and corrosions. The section focuses on revisions involving extent-of-body-surface classification references.
-
Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
Reviews updates affecting Z codes, including history, counseling, social determinants of health, and other encounter-related categories. The section also reflects broader guidance on how Z codes are used in reporting.
-
Chapter 22: Codes for Special Purposes
Lists special-purpose code references included in the guideline update summary. The section provides a narrow overview of the special-purpose chapter changes.
-
Section IV. Diagnostic Coding and Reporting Guidelines for Outpatient Services
Summarizes outpatient reporting guidance and specificity expectations. The section highlights general diagnosis-reporting instructions applicable to outpatient settings.
What You Will Learn
- How the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines were updated across general and chapter-specific sections
- Which broad topic areas were revised in the guideline summary
- How the article organizes changes affecting inpatient and outpatient reporting guidance
- Which chapters and subject areas are addressed in the update review
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Coding auditors
- Compliance professionals
- Clinical documentation staff
- Revenue cycle teams
- Health information management professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com