Changes to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting

FY 2026—Updated October 1, 2025 (October 1, 2025—September 30, 2026) 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 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd-10-cm/files.htmlThe modifications are published below using the following format:Narrative changes appear in bold text.Items underlined have been moved within the guidelines since the April 2025, FY 2025 version.Italics are used to indicate revisions to heading changesSection I. Conventions, general coding guidelines and chapter specific guidelines  A. Conventions for the ICD-10-CM  7. Punctuation  , Commas are...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AHA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article summarizes the FY 2026 updates to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. It is relevant to coders, CDI professionals, compliance teams, and healthcare organizations that need to track guideline changes across infectious diseases, neoplasms, endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, congenital conditions, and Z code reporting. The content presents revised guidance at a high level and notes the guideline areas affected so readers can determine what changed and where to review the full official document.

Why This Topic Matters

Annual guideline updates can affect diagnosis coding practices, documentation review, and claim consistency across a wide range of conditions and encounter types. Reviewing the changes helps coding and compliance teams stay aligned with the current official framework.

Article Sections

  1. FY 2026 update overview

    Introduces the scope and format of the guideline update summary for the current fiscal year. Explains how revisions are presented in the article.

  2. Section I. Conventions, general coding guidelines and chapter specific guidelines

    Covers broad conventions and general coding principles that apply throughout ICD-10-CM. Includes documentation, multiple-site reporting, and chapter-specific guidance.

  3. Chapter 1: Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases

    Summarizes updated guidance for infectious disease coding within Chapter 1. Includes discussion of HIV-related coding situations and related encounter types.

  4. Chapter 2: Neoplasms

    Addresses guideline updates for encounters involving cancer treatment therapies. Focuses on chapter-level sequencing and related encounter categories.

  5. Chapter 4: Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases

    Summarizes diabetes-related guideline updates within the endocrine chapter. Includes remission-related documentation topics.

  6. Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System

    Covers hypertension-related guideline material in the circulatory chapter. Includes associated heart disease and kidney disease topics.

  7. Chapter 13: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue

    Highlights general coding guidance for conditions in the musculoskeletal chapter. Includes site, laterality, and multiple-site concepts.

  8. Chapter 17: Congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities

    Summarizes guidance for coding congenital conditions and chromosomal abnormalities. Includes life-span use of these codes and related sequencing considerations.

  9. Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services

    Covers updated guidance for Z code categories and related reporting situations. Includes status, aftercare, miscellaneous Z codes, principal diagnosis restrictions, newborn-related Z codes, and social determinants of health.

What You Will Learn

  • How the FY 2026 ICD-10-CM guideline update is organized
  • Which major guideline sections were revised
  • What broad subject areas are affected by the update
  • How the article groups changes by chapter and category
  • Which types of coding topics are addressed in the Z code section

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Clinical documentation integrity specialists
  • Compliance professionals
  • Revenue cycle teams
  • Health information management professionals

Codes Discussed

  • ICD-10-CM: B20
  • ICD-10-CM: D59.31
  • ICD-10-CM: E11.A
  • ICD-10-CM: I11
  • ICD-10-CM: I13
  • ICD-10-CM: I50
  • ICD-10-CM: I51.4
  • ICD-10-CM: I51.5
  • ICD-10-CM: I51.7
  • ICD-10-CM: I51.89
  • ICD-10-CM: I51.9
  • ICD-10-CM: I57.7
  • ICD-10-CM: N18
  • ICD-10-CM: O98.7
  • ICD-10-CM: R75
  • ICD-10-CM: Z11.4
  • ICD-10-CM: Z15
  • ICD-10-CM: Z16
  • ICD-10-CM: Z21
  • ICD-10-CM: Z29.81
  • ICD-10-CM: Z31.5
  • ICD-10-CM: Z40.0
  • ICD-10-CM: Z40.8
  • ICD-10-CM: Z48.812
  • ICD-10-CM: Z51.0
  • ICD-10-CM: Z51.11
  • ICD-10-CM: Z51.12
  • ICD-10-CM: Z52.9
  • ICD-10-CM: Z59.0
  • ICD-10-CM: Z59.41
  • ICD-10-CM: Z60.2
  • ICD-10-CM: Z68
  • ICD-10-CM: Z71.7
  • ICD-10-CM: Z79.899
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.1
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.A
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.B
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.83
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.84
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.89

Code Ranges Discussed

  • ICD-10-CM: A00-B99
  • ICD-10-CM: C00-D49
  • ICD-10-CM: E00-E89
  • ICD-10-CM: I00-I99
  • ICD-10-CM: M00-M99
  • ICD-10-CM: Q00-QA199
  • ICD-10-CM: Z00-Z99
  • ICD-10-CM: Z51.1-
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.1-
  • ICD-10-CM: Z91.A-
  • ICD-10-CM: Z00.1-

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