Healthcare News: 2018 ICD-10-CM coding guidelines released

Why This Topic Matters

These updates affect how coders interpret documentation relationships and apply official guideline language in common diagnosis scenarios. Staying current helps support more consistent ICD-10-CM code assignment and alignment with the 2018 official guidance.

Article Sections

1. Overview of guideline updates

   Introduces selected changes in the 2018 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting and explains the general areas affected.

2. Documentation linkage and coding conventions

   Discusses how the updated guidance addresses documentation relationships, code-specific instructions, and broad coding convention language.

3. Myocardial infarction reporting guidance

   Summarizes the guideline changes related to certain myocardial infarction categories, including related reporting notes and associated instruction types.

4. Non-pressure chronic ulcer guidance

   Reviews the newly added chapter 12 guidance tied to non-pressure chronic ulcers and its relationship to the updated code set changes.