The major change in coding will come on October 1, 2013, when physicians will have to switch to using ICD-10-CM with its three- to seven-digit structure and much greater complexity.
• ICD-10-CM codes will have three to seven digits.
• Digit one is alpha (A-Z, not case sensitive).
• Digit two is numeric.
• Digit three is alpha (not case sensitive) or numeric.
• Digits four to seven are alpha (not case sensitive) or numeric.
Over the next four years, physician practices will need to adapt to the new codes. The GI societies will publish resources for reference as the time for conversion nears. ICD-10-CM files, information and mapping between ICD-10-CM and ICD-9-CM can be found on the CDC Web site. Read CMS information about ICD-10.
