The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the ICD-10-CM code updates for the 2024 fiscal year (FY), which became effective on Oct. 1, 2023. The update includes over 433 diagnosis code changes, including 395 code additions, 25 code deletions, and 13 code revisions. This brings us to a total of 78,044 codes in the ICD-10-CM code set for FY 2024.
It is essential for coding professionals and all applicable team members to keep up-to-date with these annual code changes, understand how to apply them and recognize any new documentation requirements.
Highlights of the new codes for various medical conditions include:
For Chapter 21, Factors Influencing health status and contact with Health Status:
• New codes related to social determinants of health (SDoH) and their impact on children’s well-being. Specifically, five new codes were added to category Z62 to better identify problems related to upbringing and to better clarify the specific caregiver or situation the child is involved in.
• Also, four new family history codes were added to note the family history of polyps.
In Chapter 20, External Causes of Morbidity:
• A new category, W44, Foreign body entering or through a natural orifice, has been added to identify more serious types. The American Academy of Pediatrics requested this addition to the ICD-10-CM classification structure, and 123 new ICD-10-CM codes have been added for FY 2024 to more accurately and specifically identify the type of foreign body and its location within the body.
Moving to Chapter 18, Symptoms and Signs:
• New Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System ICD-10 codes outline the density of breast tissue on mammograms. The new subcategory, R92.3, Mammographic density found on imaging of breast, has been created for this reason. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and coders will see an increase in screening mammogram encounters. Make sure your coders are aware of the new codes, and encourage them to apply the codes if this common finding is documented by the physician.
For Chapter 9, Diseases of the Circulatory System:
• A new code was added to Chapter 9 (I1A.0) for Resistant hypertension. Resistant hypertension (RH) is defined as a condition where a patient’s blood pressure remains high despite concurrent use of at least three antihypertensive drugs of different pharmacological
classes. The instructional notes state to code first the specific type of existing hypertension.
In Chapter 6, Diseases of the Nervous System:
• New codes were requested by the Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council to enhance the tracking and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is estimated that 1.04 million people in the United States had PD in 2017, and 1.2 million are estimated to have PD by 2030. New codes will capture if the patient experiences dyskinesia (involuntary movement) or motor fluctuations.
• New chronic migraine codes were introduced, including codes for chronic migraine with aura, and coders can further specify that diagnosis by answering the intractable/not intractable and status migrainosus questions.
There are also multiple notable changes in the remaining chapters. Coders are reminded to use caution, as the new codes are assigned to ensure that new tabular notes, new ICD-10-CM guidelines, and 2023 American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic guidance are followed.
There are numerous changes in those categories, too.
