Healthcare System Vs Icd-10 Essay

There are many differences between ICD-10 and the previous ICD-9 system. ICD-10 system offers a more improved and accurate system for coding medical conditions. ICD-10 has 5 times more codes than ICD-9. The negative of the ICD-10 is with more codes there may be more than one code that could be used. I have looked at the differences between ICD-10 and ICD-9 system and compare and contrast them.

ICD-10-CM is based upon the International Classification of Sicknesses published by the World Health Organization, using alphanumeric codes to identify known sicknesses and other health issues. Physicians, coders, health information managers, nurses and other healthcare professionals also use ICD-10-CM to assist them in the storage and retrieval of diagnostic

information. ICD records are also used in the compilation of national mortality and morbidity statistics (Rouse, M. 2017).
ICD-9-CM also contains a list of codes to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care in the United States. These codes can be entered into a patient's electronic health record and used for diagnostic, billing and reporting purposes. Related information also classified and codified in the system includes symptoms, patient complaints, causes of injury, and mental disorders (Rouse, M. 2017).
ICD-10-CM/PCS has an improved structure, ability, and flexibility for the advancements in technology and medical terminology.

This combines medicine-based detail and the level of detail to provide more accurate information for following and recording of health care and public health, quality of care issues, and health results. The advanced number of codes will not necessarily make it more difficult to use. The increase in codes should make it easier for health care providers to find the correct code.” ICD-10 codes are very different from ICD-9 codes and have a completely different structure.” (International Classification of Diseases, 2015). ICD-9-CM codes are mainly number-based and have 3 to 5 digits. ICD-10 codes are alphanumeric and contain 3 to 7 characters. ICD-10 codes are more specific and descriptive with "one-to-many" matches in many events. There are nearly 5 times (68,000) as many (identification of a disease or problem, or its cause) codes in ICD-10-CM than in ICD-9-CM (13,000). This is nearly 19 times as many procedure codes in ICD-10-PCS than in ICD-9-CM. Like ICD-9-CM codes, ICD-10-CM/PCS codes will be updated every year via the ICD-10-CM/PCS Coordination and Maintenance Committee (International Classification of Diseases,

2015).
ICD-10 codes begin with a letter, while the first digit of an ICD-9 code can be either alpha or numeric based. The easiest ways to decide or figure out if you are using ICD-9 codes is to make sure the first digit is not a number. There is no change when it comes to the character needed for the second digit of an ICD-10 code. The second digit of both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes are always number-based. Digits three through five of ICD-9 codes were always number-based. Third and later digits of ICD-10 codes may be either alpha or number-based (Rouse, M. 2017).
One of the biggest reasons for the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is the ability the new system can do when it comes to adding new codes.

ICD-10 provides a great deal of flexibility for creating new codes, making it easy to add (not very long ago)-discovered sicknesses. The old system contained about 17,000 codes, but there are nearly 160,000 included in the new one. More codes can be added to ICD-10 as time goes on. ICD-10 codes are also very specific, and are designed to eliminate coding errors that could result in denied claims. Many believe being more specific will also lead to improved patient safety. Having a more true number in describing or explaining the identification of a disease or problem, or its cause, with fewer requests for paperwork that proves or supports something and to support identification of a disease or problem, or its cause would be relevant to patient safety. It should also lead to fewer claims being denied due to a "lack of medical need." This would definitely benefit the medical providers (Gibson, H. December 09,

2014).
CD10 codes allows for all causes of deaths and accidents that have not been in the traditional lists. “Risk factors have been broadened to include lifestyle, psychological and occupational factors in their influence over a disease” (Discover: The Advantages and Disadvantages of ICD-10. (May 20, 2015). “ICD 10 codes are uniquely structured to allow newly diagnosed diseases and concepts” (Discover: the Advantages and Disadvantages of ICD-10. (May 20, 2015).
“All the medical billing programs that use and record their diagnostic data needs to completely shift their process to suit the new coding structure” (Discover: The Advantages of ICD-10. (May 20, 2015). Training drives are required to be carried out across the medical spectrum and especially in the coding industry about how to accurately submit claims to the payers. There are, however, institutes such as Career Step have efficient curriculum designed to train coders into the new system.
A primary user of ICD codes includes health care personnel, such as physicians and nurses, as well as medical coders, who assign ICD-9-CM codes to verbatim or abstracted diagnosis or procedure information, and thus are originators of the ICD codes.” A secondary user of ICD-9-CM codes is someone who uses already coded data from hospitals, health care providers, or health plans to conduct surveillance and or research activities”.( International Classification of Diseases, ICD-10-CM/PCS Oct, 2015). The U.S. cannot directly compare morbidity diagnosis data to state and national mortality data. Similarly, most developed countries have already made the transition to ICD-10 code sets, so the U.S. cannot directly compare U.S. morbidity diagnosis data at the international level.” When the U.S. transitions to ICD-10 code sets for morbidity and procedures it will enable more direct comparability of U.S. morbidity data with U.S. mortality data, and it will also allow comparison of U.S. morbidity data with international morbidity data” (International Classification of Diseases, October, 2015).
In conclusion, I believe the ICD-10CM is better than the ICD-9-CM coding system. The ICD-9-CM coding system lacks specificity and detail. If the coder has attempted data extraction utilizing the ICD-9-CM system, the coder probably encountered difficulty obtaining the exact diagnosis for which they were searching for. ICD-10-CM has incorporated supplemental classification incorporated into main classification (Cartwright, D. J. 2013). “ICD-9-CM is running out of code capacity to expand and keep up with advances in technology” (Cartwright, D. J. December 12, 2013). The main classifications of categories that are contained in ICD-9-CM are completely full with no room for expansion. Another reason for the switch is the growing need for precise quality data. The ICD-10-CM system will gain better information for (1) measuring the quality, safety, and efficacy, (2) researching, and (3) gaining more efficiency in the healthcare system. The ICD-10-CM system will allow for future expansion to accommodate the rapid introduction of new technologies into the healthcare system (Cartwright, D. J. 2013). In addition, we will finally be able to align the United States data.