By: Lorna Simons, CPC
Medco Consultants, Inc
Happy New Year! Or not quite new year. It is that wonderful time of the year where the ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) code set changes over.
Unlike CPT® (Current Procedural Terminology) and HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System), ICD-10-CM codes are valid from October 1 through September 30. This means for services performed on and after October 1, the 2018 ICD-10-CM manual should be used for diagnosis coding.
Have you purchased and received your updated ICD-10-CM manual? If not, don’t fret. While you wait for your new books to arrive, you can visit the CMS website for the 2018 ICD-10-CM and GEMS (General Equivalence Mappings). This will help you view all of the updated and revised codes.
Many sections including ophthalmology, cardiovascular and gastroenterology incurred multiple changes. To view the changes, download the GEMS to see if any of the changes will affect your practice or if your superbills need to be updated.
Source:
CMS 2018 ICD-10-CM and GEMS, https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/2018-ICD-10-CM-and-GEMs.html