# ICD-10 typos



## Sephardic (Jan 21, 2014)

I'm in a bit of a quandary. I have a book I'm using to study for the ICD10 proficiency exam. The book is published by the AMA. I'm doing the tests that are provided on a CD that comes with the book. The test is having me list an ICD10 code for the conditions listed. One of them is "Leptospirosis Meningitis". I go to my ICD 10 book in the index and look up Meningitis. I go down further to the words in (due to) and I found Leptospirosis. Next to it it has the code A27.81. I go to the tabular and look up A27.81 and it says "Aseptic meningitis in leptospirosis". I look all around, above and below for excludes notes or any other information that is pertinent to this code. I assume that A27.81 is the correct answer. I go to the answers for the test and it states the answer is A27.81 & G01

???? I look up G01 and it says "Meningitis in bacterial diseases classified elsewhere".
Underneath it says "code first underlying disease". Underneath that it says EXCLUDES 1 "meningitis (in):" Leptospirosis A27.81
I thought an Excludes 1 meant that they could not be coded together. My assumption is the answer really should be just A27.81 alone. Does anyone agree or disagree?

In looking at the answers provided to some of the other questions like "primary malignant skin cancer of the left forearm" The answer listed for this is C44.62. That code requires a 6th digit. So how could that possibly be the correct answer.
I think there's more bad answers. I haven't gone through them all yet but I can't believe this book was published!!!!
I feel like complaining to the AMA!!!


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## mitchellde (Jan 21, 2014)

it looks like the test does have some issues!  You are correct that the exclude 1 note means that the codes cannot be used together and C44.62 does require a 6th character.  The code book is fine but the test is completely incorrect at least on the two you have cited.  I think complaining to the AMA is warranted.


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## Sephardic (Jan 21, 2014)

Thanks Debra.  When I first started going through the test answers I thought my actual ICD10 book had typos. I thought "Oh great! How am I going to know where they're all at when I go to take the real test."

I won't be using this book to study anymore. It's going in the recycle bin. The AMA should be ashamed of themselves. And of course as luck would have it there is a disclaimer at the front of the book stating that the AMA nor its authors or editors warrant that the information is in every respect accurate or complete


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## MandyFlagg (Jan 22, 2014)

Just be warned, the ones you found may have been a test issue but there ARE typo's in some of the books, I am now a AHIMA approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer and have found typo's and had some pointed out to me at the training that I went through.


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## lorrpb (Jan 25, 2014)

Yes, there are more typos and contradictory instructional notes than you would think, even in the 2014 draft code set. I have spent *a lot of time* developing and updating instructional materials on ICD-10 for publishers. There have been many changes and updates to ICD-10 over the past 3 years, and they're not necessarily that easy to identify based on the published list of changes each year. This makes it very difficult and frustrating to update instructional materials. 


Index entries have been changed, so the path that once led to a code no longer does. 
Index entries that led to a certain code now lead to a completely different code.
Code numbers that have remained the same have been given new and different titles. 
Characters have been added to codes. 
Sequencing notes within the tabular listing have been changed. 
Paragraphs have been added and deleted to OGCR and not always marked.

The list goes on and on. When you are developing new materials from scratch, you work from whatever the current version of the code set is. But once you need to update previously published material, it is almost impossible to identify every single change, because they are not all documented, and most publishers cannot afford to re-develop from scratch every year.  

I understand that when you purchase instructional materials, you expect them to be perfect, as I myself do, because we all work hard for our money and we want and deserve accurate information. So I am not making an excuse, but offering an explanation of *why *these things happen.


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