Spine coding transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10: Not taking advantage of the specificity of a more granular system

ABSTRACT: Highlights • Despite an increase in available ICD-10 codes for spine conditions, providers select a small proportion of less specific codes.• Providers demonstrated a bias to select less-specific diagnostic codes when available.• Providers should accurately code for spine care to benefit from the additional clarity and granularity provided by ICD-10.

Background

The transition from International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition (ICD-9) to the 10th edition (ICD-10) in 2015 increased the number and specificity of diagnostic codes with the goal of facilitating clinical care and research possibilities. Considering the potential to default to less specified ICD-10 codes, the current study evaluated the number of codes utilized for spine-related conditions before versus after the

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PROVIDER: S-EPMC8820049 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature