What is the difference between ICD-9 and ICD-10?

Answer 1

The first difference is between the number of codes. ICD-9 has approximately 14,000 diagnoses codes and 4000 procedural codes. ICD-10 has over 68,000 diagnoses codes and 72,000 procedural codes. The second major difference is in the naming convention of the codes and the information they represent. ICD-9 codes have a decimal point after the third digit and are made up of a total of three to five digits. For ICD-10, the decimal point is after the third digit similar to ICD-9, but the length of the entire code is seven digits. These additional digits have been added to the code to represent information in much greater detail.

Switching to ICD-10 will involve a lot of training as the codes are in great detail and more complex. Organizations that want their employees to undergo training for this new coding standard that'll roll out in October should consider the ICD-10 training programs CareerStep offers. This online training facilitates the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 and prepares employees to make the switch to the new coding standard easily.

Answer 2

1) Number of Codes: As part of the effort to provide more information, ICD-10 will have roughly 68,000 available codes (with flexibility for adding new ones) in comparison to ICD-9's 13,000 codes and limited space for additions.

2) Use of Alphabetic Codes: ICD-9 only permitted numeric codes. In contrast, ICD-10 will make significant use of alphabet codes as part of its work to be more specific. The characters will not be case sensitive. The additional characters allow for information such as listing the body system, root operation, body part, approach, device, and any necessary qualifier all within one code for a surgical procedure.

3) Relevance to Modern Technology: ICD-9 is widely considered to be based on outdated technology, with codes unable to reflect the use of new equipment. ICD-10 offers far more integration with modern technology, with an emphasis on devices that are actually being used for various procedures.

4) Length of Code: I9 codes are 3-5 digits long, while I10 codes are 3-7 digits long.

5) PCS codes: I9 has vol3 codes explaining procedures; I10 has PCS codes to explain the same. There is no. "vol3" in I10.