Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: I listened in on a webinar recently where the speaker said to prepare now for ICD-11. Is that actually on the way?

North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: While ICD-10 revisions continued this year with the addition of a new chapter, Chapter 22 Codes for special purposes (U00-U85), and new codes U07.0 (Vaping-related disorder) and U07.1 (COVID-19), the timetable for the transition to ICD-11 in the U.S. still remains unclear — even though the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the code set in May 2019 for implementation in January 2022.

In fact, most coding experts believe it won’t be until 2025 that you’ll be using ICD-11 for reporting morbidity, and that the clinical modification (CM) version won’t appear until 2027 if needed.

Bottom line: So, all you can do to prepare in 2021 is glance at the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) website (ncvhs.hhs.gov/) occasionally to see if these predictions continue to hold true.