In Mid-April we will be able to preview some of the upcoming changes to ICD-10-CM for 2018. CMS will be releasing the changes as a part of the proposed Medicare inpatient hospital payment rule. There will be fewer new, revised and deleted codes than those release for the 2017 edition.
There are several notable changes that we will be seeing in the Mid-April preview.
- New codes proposed by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS or e-cigarettes) will be added to Chapter 5 Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders, Chapter 19 Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of External Causes and Chapter 21 Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services.
- New codes for Heart Failure and Myocardial Infarction(MI) will be offering better clarity and detail for coding the different types and variety of heart failure and MIs.
- New substance abuse remission codes with explanatory information will clarify the classification for coding mild, moderate and severe. This will aid in aligning ICD-10-CM coding with the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
- New Orbital roof and wall fracture codes will include greater locational specificity.
- New antenatal screening codes will be added to Chapter 21 Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services for reporting specific screening tests administered to pregnant patients.
- We will also be seeing new explanatory language for the Glasgow coma scale to help with selecting the appropriate coding level for pediatric patients based on age.
Though it is easy to get excited about these new codes, it is important to remember the preview is a part of proposed changes. These codes, as well as others that are not yet completed, will be seen in the final hospital payment rule in August. The completed codeset with all the new, revised and deleted codes will take effect on October 1st.