WVU Medicine continues preparations for Oct. 1 launch of ICD-10 coding system

Beginning Oct. 1, all HIPAA-covered healthcare institutions, including WVU Medicine, must transition from ICD-9, the current coding system, to the ICD-10 version. This transition will impact not only information technology systems, but also business and clinical processes.

ICD-10-CM will be used to define all inpatient and outpatient diagnoses, whereas ICD-10-PCS will be used to define inpatient procedures. CPT coding will remain in place to define procedures in the outpatient and physician practice settings.

The differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10 include the volume of codes, as well as structure, rules and terminology. There are nearly five times as many ICD-10-CM codes as there are ICD-9 diagnosis codes and approximately 18 times as many ICD-10-PCS codes as there are ICD-9 procedure codes.

To prepare for the transition to ICD-10, WVU Medicine leaders and staff have been working diligently since 2012.

If you have questions or would like additional training, please contact Kim Raines at ext. 72227 or rainesk@wvuhealthcare.com.