Updates to the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets have been released for the first time following a partial code freeze that began in 2011. As the United States healthcare system transitioned from ICD-9 to ICD-10, the code freeze limited code updates to both the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 code sets only to capture new technologies and diseases.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made the 2017 code updates, along with a complete list of code titles, available for download on the 2017 ICD-10-CM and GEMs and 2017 ICD-10-PCS and GEMs webpages.
Updates to the general coding guidelines for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS also are available, with narrative changes appearing in bold text, items that have been moved within the guidelines since the FY 2016 version underlined, and revisions to heading changes in italics.
The changes will be in effect beginning October 1, 2016. Gloryanne Bryant, past president of the California Health Information Association and a coding and HIM professional with 35 years of experience, wrote an article for ICD-10 Monitor highlighting some of the changes. Bryant also offered a suggested checklist for coders and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists to complete before the changes are implemented, including the following:
- Read the guidelines and note changes and revisions.
- Discuss the changes with other coding and CDI staff and outline next steps.
- Share pertinent information with clinical staff.
- Update coding educational materials.
For more information about ICD-10 in general, visit CMS’s ICD-10 webpage.
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