CMS Publishes Over 1,000 New ICD-10-CM Codes Effective on October 1, 2022

August 30th, 2022 - Aimee Wilcox

Categories: Diagnosis Coding

The ICD-10-CM coding updates become effective on October 1, 2022 and include 1,176 added, or new codes, 24 revised and 287 deleted codes. Often, a single code is deleted or changed so the category itself can be expanded, providing greater details about a disease, condition, or injury. This year some of the biggest ICD-10-CM chapters undergoing code additions and expansions include:

Chapter 5: Mental, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Changes related to vascular dementia and other forms the disease;

Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System
- Changes related to aneurysms, refractory angina pectoris, and aortic dissections;

Chapter 13: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System
- New codes for reporting a non-traumatic, slipped upper femoral epiphysis, intervertebral annulus fibrosus defects, and fractures of the sternum and ribs from CPR or chest compressions;

Chapter 14: Diseases of the Genitourinary System
- Many new codes were added to provide detail in reporting endometriosis;

Chapter 15: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Puerperium
- Over 150 codes were added related to maternal care for central nervous system malformations and fetal abnormalities/damage;

Chapter 19: Injury, Poisoning, and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes
- Approximately 100 new codes to expand traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries;

Chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity
- Over 700 new codes were added to expand on the injuries and accidents associated with motorized vehicles like the electric bicycle and motorcycles;

Chapter 21: Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services
- Addition of new codes related to social determinants of health (SDoH), counseling, long-term (current) use of a number of medications, personal history of corrected congenital disorders, as well as a new set of patient and caregiver noncompliance with treatment codes.

Other chapters are also undergoing changes, but these are the chapters with the largest number of added, revised, and deleted codes. Changes become effective on October 1, 2022 and will need to be addressed in many facets of health care including:

Determining how to update healthcare providers on the new documentation requirements to meet the highest code specificities.
Setting up new internal compliance policies related to code assignments as well as identifying any changes or updates to payer policies, especially Medicare guidelines.
Updating computer systems, forms, and preauthorization documents.

It should be noted, that along the lines of health equity (a major goal of the current Administration), new Z-codes have been added to expand the section related to social determinants of health (SDoH). If your organization deals with any federal health programs like Medicare Advantage or Medicaid, you will need to stay up on any changes to these codes since there will be a concerted effort to ensure these are reported correctly throughout the year. Additionally, codes newly added to this section may need to be incorporated into your organization's patient questionnaires and patient intake routines.

Free Webinar: To learn more about these code updates, join us for a free webinar (sign up below) in which a review of the code changes will be done specific to each chapter, including documentation details required for high-specificity code assignment, as well as tips and information related to these diseases, conditions, and injuries themselves.

The webinar " 2023 ICD-10-CM Code Updates" is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 @ 10:15 AM PT, 11:15 AM MT, 12:15 PM CT, 1:15 PM ET. Click HERE to register for this FREE webinar.

Disclaimer: The above article is the opinion of the author(s) and should not be interpreted by providers/payers as official guidance. For any questions about the content of this article, please contact the author(s).

About the Author: Aimee Wilcox is a medical coding, billing, and auditing consultant, author, and educator with more than 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in healthcare, coding, billing, and auditing. Medicine, including coding and billing, is a constantly changing field full of challenges and learning and she loves both. She believes there are talented medical professionals who, with proper training and excellent information, can continue to practice the art of healing while feeling secure in their billing and reimbursement for such care.

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