Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

2011 will be the last time for complete update.

CMS has followed through on its proposal to update the ICD-9 code set one last time on Oct. 1, 2011. After that time, you won't see any new ICD-9 codes in the set except for those updates required for new technologies and diseases.

That's the word from the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting, held on Sept. 15 and 16, where CMS's Pat Brooks explained the following process for ICD-9 and ICD-10 code updates:

• Oct 1, 2011: The last, regular, annual updates will be made to the ICD-9 and ICD-10 code sets
• Oct 1, 2012: Limited code updates to the ICD-9 and ICD-10 code sets to capture new technologies and diseases
• Oct. 1, 2013: Limited code updates to ICD-10 code set to capture new technologies and diagnoses; ICD-9 will no longer be used for reporting purposes, so no updates to that code set will take place
• Oct. 1, 2014: Regular updates to ICD-10 will begin Vendors, payers, and coding educators have asked CMS to freeze the current diagnosis code set to help make ICD- 10 transition planning simpler, so the announcement that CMS has confirmed a code set freeze should assist you when you're trying to get the hang of ICD-10 coding.

Committee Mulls ICD-9 to ICD-10 General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs)

The ICD-9 Coordination and Maintenance Committee also considered several diagnosis code mappings during its meeting.

For example, the Committee recommended updating GEMs for certain diabetes mellitus codes. Noting that The ICD-10-CM index instructs selecting the code for inadequately controlled diabetes by type with hyperglycemia, the committee recommended changing the GEM for ICD-9 code 250.02 (Diabetes mellitus without mention of complication, type II or unspecified type, uncontrolled) from ICD-10 E11.9 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications) to E11.65 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia).

To read the entire handout from the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting, visit www.cms.gov/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/03_meetings.asp and click on "Sept. 15-16, 2010 Meeting Documents."