Updates Announced for 2021 ICD-10-CM
Just last month, we announced code and guideline updates from the American Medical Association (AMA) for 2021. This month, we’ll be taking a look at new proposed updates for the 2021 ICD-10-CM, which are much more extensive than the updates for 2020. There are hundreds of new codes, revised codes and invalidated codes. Let’s take a look at them.
The Importance of the ICD-10-CM
First off, why is the ICD-10-CM important? If you’re new to medical coding or interested in a medical coding career, you might not be aware of this important book. The ICD-10-CM is one of three books every medical coding student needs. As such, any updates to it are important.
In case you aren’t aware, this book helps you select diagnosis codes and is fully colored. You’ll learn the most accurate billing and reimbursement codes for medical services — both in physician offices and out-patient settings. We recommend the Buck’s 2019 ICD-10-CM Physician Edition, as it comes with “durable spiral binding, and includes a companion website with the latest coding news and updates.”
2021 Update Summary for the ICD-10-CM
Part B News recently released a thorough summary of the upcoming proposed updates to the ICD-10-CM. As their report points out, “the proposed FY2021 update will be significantly larger than the FY2020 update if all of the proposed changes go through as planned: 490 new codes, 47 revised codes and 58 invalidated.”
Among the biggest changes are new ways to code headaches as a symptom, updates to codes for sickle cell anemia, behavioral health updates, arthritis code changes and more. Additionally, there is a new chapter (Chapter 22) that breaks down codes for special purposes.
Those are the major updates. For the latest medical coding news and insights, be sure to subscribe to our blog! We post new articles weekly.
