The Therapist's Complete Guide to Working with Insurance - And Whether You Should
by Barbara Griswold, LMFT
ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes Change Again October 1, 2017
By Barbara Griswold, LMFT
September 23, 2017
Yes, it is happening again: Some of the ICD-10 diagnostic codes you find in the DSM-5 that we use every day on invoices and claims are changing as part of their annual update. While officially called the 2018 codes, they are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2017. All healthcare providers must use these codes in documentation and for insurance billing, whether they contract with insurance or not.
ICD-10 (International Classification of Diagnosis) codes are associated with DSM-5 diagnoses. Updates are typically made yearly to provide greater”diagnostic specificity” — to communicate more information with the code, or to separate it from another diagnosis that shares the same code. In the new 2018 codes, for example, a client actively abusing alcohol no longer has the same code as a client in remission. This might affect the number of sessions allotted by a health plan before a treatment review is triggered, since reviews are often triggered if the treatment frequency and type seems inappropriate to the diagnosis.
This year’s code changes in mental health are almost all in the area of substance use disorders, including tobacco use. New codes have been added for clients in early or sustained remission of each severity level of the disorder (mild, moderate, or severe). In addition, the code for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder has changed.
For an easy-to-print table with old and new codes,click here
Did you miss last year’s code changes? To view my article on last year’s code updates, which included changes in the codes for frequently-used diagnoses such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Skin Picking, various eating disorders including Binge-Eating Disorder, and Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Adults, click here
Tip: due to these updates, the codes printed in your DSM-5 are out of date for these diagnoses. Take a minute and update your DSM-5 with the new codes.
Want to schedule some time to get help with insurance billing, practice building, or difficult cases? Contact me for a consultation.
