It was announced last month that CMS plans to add 5,500 diagnosis and procedure codes to the ICD-10 coding system in October of this year, right when the grace period is ending. These codes will be applicable for fiscal year 2017.
Why are there new ICD-10 codes being released now?
The 5,500 new codes are a result of a backlog of proposals for changes to the code set due to a partial freeze. A partial freeze was actually implemented by the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee prior to the implementation of ICD-10 back in 2014. According to CMS, the partial freeze would only allow very limited code updates to capture new technologies and diseases, and on October 1st, regular updates to ICD-10 would begin again.
Where can I access the new ICD-10 codes?
The new PCS (procedural) codes are available on the CMS website and the new CM (clinical) codes are available on the CDC website. Generally, the -PCS codes are used in the inpatient hospital setting while the -CM codes are used in the outpatient/physician office setting.
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