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Frequently Asked Questions

What is wrong with our current coding system?

Why is ICD-10 better than ICD-9?

What classification system do other countries use for medical coding?

Is switching to ICD-10 really necessary?

Why is it important to expedite adoption and implementation of ICD-10?

Won’t switching to ICD-10 be complicated?

Will the benefits of ICD-10 really outweigh the costs of implementation?

Can SNOMED-CT be used for coding instead of ICD-10?

Does the healthcare industry really want ICD-10?

Q: What’s wrong with our current coding system?

A: ICD-9-CM was developed 30 years ago and is obsolete. It cannot accurately describe the diagnoses and inpatient procedures of care delivered in the 21st century.

Q: Why is ICD-10 better than ICD-9?

A: ICD-10 contains an increased number of codes and categories that allow for a more specific and accurate representation of current and future medical diagnoses and procedures.

Q: What classification system do other countries use for medical coding?

A: All other developed countries use ICD-10. Currently 99 countries are using ICD-10 for both mortality and morbidity.

Q: Is switching to ICD-10 really necessary?

A: Yes. The US needs to switch to ICD-10 in order to improve the quality of our nation’s healthcare data and to maintain clinical data comparability with the rest of the world. The longer we continue to use ICD-9, the more difficult it becomes to compile and share accurate disease and mortality data at a time when such global data sharing is critical for public health. The better data provided by ICD-10 will lead to improved patient safety, improved quality of care, and improved public health and bio-terrorism monitoring.

Q: Why is it important to expedite adoption and implementation of ICD-10?

A: There is a cost and a danger to using an outdated, “broken” coding system. Continuing to use ICD-9-CM will increasingly have an adverse impact on the value of healthcare data including the accuracy of decisions based on faulty or imprecise data.

Q: Won’t switching to ICD-10 be complicated?

A: An AHIMA/AHA field study shows ICD-10 can be implemented without excessive staff training costs or changes in documentation practices. Training ICD-9 users to use ICD-10 has been shown to be relatively straightforward.

Q: Will the benefits of ICD-10 really outweigh the costs of implementation?

A: An independent study concluded that the benefits of ICD-10 are likely to exceed initial implementation costs within just a few years. Furthermore, the cost of doing nothing may be greater than actual implementation. Any delay in adoption of ICD-10 will cause an increase in future implementation costs as the management of health information becomes increasingly electronic and costs of implementing new coding systems increases due to required systems and applications upgrades.

Q: Can SNOMED-CT be used for coding instead of ICD-10?

A: While AHIMA supports the adoption of BOTH SNOMED-CT and ICD-10, the systems are designed for different uses in the healthcare system. Clinical terminology codes lack the “power of summary” found in classification systems for administrative reporting such as statistical reporting and reimbursement. ICD-10 is needed to facilitate retrieval of coded data at the desired level of detail depending on the purposes for which the data are being used. SNOMED-CT is designed to work in an electronic health record rather than the paper-based health record systems currently used by the majority providers and payors. Coding systems in the United States must meet the needs of all healthcare providers including physician practices, long-term care providers, home health agencies, and others with diverse information processing capabilities.

Q: Does the healthcare industry really want ICD-10?

A: Widespread support for the adoption of ICD-10 exists throughout the healthcare community. Organizations favoring the adoption ICD-10 include The National Committee for Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), American Academy of Neurology (AANA), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOBG), American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Association (AMA), Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), and Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

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