ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2020

Why This Topic Matters

The article identifies the official national guidance that supports consistent ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding and reporting across healthcare settings. Understanding the scope and organization of these guidelines helps coding and documentation professionals apply the correct federal reference for FY 2020.

Article Sections

1. Introduction and document scope

   Explains the purpose of the FY 2020 guideline document, its effective period, and its relationship to the official ICD-10-CM reference material. It also identifies the issuing organizations and the general authority for the guidance.

2. Authority, documentation, and reporting expectations

   Describes the guideline status within the federal coding framework and the emphasis on documentation quality, record review, and complete reporting. It also addresses the roles of the provider and coder in the reporting process.

3. Organization of the guidelines

   Summarizes how the guideline document is arranged into major sections for general rules, principal diagnosis selection, additional diagnoses, and outpatient reporting. It notes the need to review the full set of sections together.