Implement ICD-10-CM update for 2018

Why This Topic Matters

Annual ICD-10-CM updates can affect diagnosis reporting, documentation specificity, and claim consistency across multiple specialties. Understanding the nature of the changes helps organizations prepare for implementation and avoid avoidable coding discrepancies when the new code set takes effect.

Article Sections

1. Overview of the 2018 ICD-10-CM update

   Introduces the scope of the annual diagnosis code update and summarizes the overall volume of additions, deletions, and revisions. It also notes the effective timing and the source of the final update.

2. Substance use remission and severity coding changes

   Covers changes related to remission status and severity classification for substance use-related diagnosis reporting. The section focuses on the behavioral health coding area and related alignment guidance.

3. Other major diagnosis code changes

   Summarizes additional clinical areas affected by the final update, including cardiovascular diagnoses, pregnancy-related screening, and counseling visits. It presents the broad categories of changes without detailing code selection.

4. Deleted codes in the final update

   Describes selected code deletions and the types of code groups affected in the final version. It includes examples of removed categories across injury and musculoskeletal reporting.