ICD-10

Overview of the ICD-10 coding system

Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) is a medical classification list by the World Health Organization (WHO). It contains codes for diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or diseases. The ICD-10 is used worldwide for morbidity and mortality statistics, reimbursement systems, and automated decision support in medicine.

The ICD-10 logo

History

The ICD-10 was first endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 1990 and came into use in WHO member states in 1994. It replaced the ICD-9, which had been in use since 1979. The ICD-10 was developed to provide a more detailed and comprehensive classification system that could be used internationally.

Structure

The ICD-10 is divided into 21 chapters, each covering a different category of diseases and health conditions. Each chapter is further divided into blocks of related conditions, and each condition is assigned a unique code. The codes are alphanumeric and consist of a letter followed by two digits, with a decimal point and one or two additional digits for more specific conditions.

Usage

The ICD-10 is used by healthcare providers, insurers, and researchers to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care. It is also used for billing and reimbursement purposes, as well as for compiling health statistics.

Transition to ICD-11

The ICD-11 was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2019 and is set to replace the ICD-10. The ICD-11 includes updates and improvements to the classification system, reflecting advances in medicine and changes in the understanding of health and disease.

Related pages

• ICD-9
• ICD-11
• World Health Organization
• Medical classification