From Multiplication to Calculus: ICD-9 has 16,000 codes, ICD-10 has 155,000 codes
Imagine finishing up and turning in a multiplication quiz at the age of 8 while your teacher hands you a calculus exam simultaneously? Now realize that if you can't handle that test, then you don't make your allowance. Physicians livelihoods are about the get that much harder. Reimbursement cuts may be looming, but figuring out how to even get reimbursed may even be more painful. By Oct. 1, 2013, U.S. physicians are required to adopt an updated version of the International Classification of Diseases. The current code-set used is called ICD-9, which consists of 16,000 codes, while the new code-set, ICD-10 has 155,000 codes.
As a prerequisite to the adoption of ICD-10, entities must adopt updated electronic transition standards, known as HIPAA 5010 by Jan 1, 2012, less than one year away. HIPAA 5010 (HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was initially scheduled to occur much sooner - April 1, 2010, but were pushed back near the term of the Bush Administration.
ICD-10 is commonly used across the globe in other countries, but what makes the U.S. that much different, is that those countries do not pay physicians according to diagnosis and procedural codes. As a result, in the U.S., the preparation on behalf of all parties involved in the