More Than 5,500 New ICD-10 Codes, Coming

Soon!
By Susan Dooley

Waiting for the deluge? CMS and CDC have released 5,500+ new, revised, and deleted ICD-10 codes to
take effect Oct. 1, 2016, for fiscal year 2017, ending the partial freeze on code additions that began in
2011. After five years of no additions, coders expected a barrage of new codes once the freeze was
lifted. With 1,900 new diagnosis codes and more than 3,600 new procedure codes to add to ICD-10, its
time to start digging into the new material.

Look for Final Code Lists in June

Because the ICD-10 Coordination & Maintenance Committee, co-chaired by CMS and the CDC, needed
time to mull over comments submitted by interested parties, the final code lists wont be available until
June, when the addenda are published. In the meantime, take a look at the preliminary 2016-2017 ICD10-CM codes at the CDC website and the ICD-10-PCS codes at the CMS website.
The Coding Institute LLC, 2222 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC 27713, Eenterprise Contact: Sam Nair, Direct: 704 303 8150,
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In This Case, Change Is Good

Having to learn a new group of 5,500+ codes may seem daunting, but remember, we just learned an
entire new system. The latest additions are no disaster in fact, an update like this is a piece of cake by
comparison. Many of the new codes were added by the ICD-10 C&M Committee at the request of health
systems and professional organizations that needed greater specificity. Most of the new codes are part
of the PCS procedure system, with details such as new devices, the addition of bifurcation as a qualifier,
procedures on congenital cardiac conditions, and placement of intravascular neurostimulators. The
cardiovascular system will see the largest number of new ICD-10-PCS and ICD-10-CM codes.

Proposed Change to Cardiology Coding for MI Types 1 Through 5

A number of cardiology changes are on the docket, but an especially interesting one involves
classification of myocardial infarction. These proposed changes, presented by David Berglund, MD, and
James E. Tcheng, MD, FACC, add inclusion notes to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and nonST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) codes I21.0 to I21.4, specifying that those codes are
appropriate for type 1 MIs, which are spontaneous MIs. The proposal also adds a new subcategory for
the other types of MIs, suggesting code I21.A1 for type 2 MI (due to demand ischemia or ischemic
imbalance) and I21.A9 for the remaining types 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, and 5.
Note that these codes are at this stage only proposed, with a request for fast-track approval to make it
into the Oct. 1 set. For that reason, you wont see them in the preliminary list of FY 2017 ICD-10 codes
thats been posted at the CDC website. The full proposal is on page 16 of the March 9 meeting packet
here. Also, you can view the presentation in its entirety on You Tube here.

What About You?

How are you feeling about the prospect of learning new ICD-10 codes? Let us know.

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Contact Us:
Name: Sam Nair
Title: Associate Director
The Coding Institute LLC, 2222 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC 27713, Eenterprise Contact: Sam Nair, Direct: 704 303 8150,
shyamn@codinginstitute.com

Email: shyamn@codinginstitute.com
Direct: 704 303 8150

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The Coding Institute LLC, 2222 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC 27713

The Coding Institute LLC, 2222 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC 27713, Eenterprise Contact: Sam Nair, Direct: 704 303 8150,
shyamn@codinginstitute.com