It’s Official, ICD-11 Implementation is Underway! On Feb. 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) released ICD-11 2022. This is the official version of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding set that WHO member countries will be implemented worldwide. In fact, according to the WHO release announcement, 35 countries are already using ICD-11. The WHO started developing this version of ICD in 2007, and first released a preliminary version for evaluation and testing in 2016. In May 2019, the World Health Assembly adopted ICD-11 for a target implementation in 2022. Since releasing ICD-11 for testing, WHO has received and processed over 900 proposals, which represent input from early adopter countries, translators, and scientific groups. The 2022 version of ICD-11 posted online this month reflects these refinements. In case you are curious, some of the updates in ICD-11 2022 include the following: Rare disease coding; Support for perinatal and maternal coding; Grade and stage coding for cancers; Updated diagnostic recommendations for mental health conditions; and Codes for antimicrobial resistance, based on the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).
With the release of ICD-11 2022, the 11th version of ICD officially comes into effect, and the WHO is encouraging all member countries to move on to ICD-11. That means, at a minimum, that ICD-11 is expected to be used for mortality reporting (meaning reporting causes of death, on death certificates). In addressing implementation timeframes, the WHO anticipates that countries that have not used a previous version of ICD, and have a fairly simple information system, may need 1-2 years. In contrast, countries with highly sophisticated information systems, where earlier versions of ICD are already in use, may require 4 -5 years to transition to ICD-11. For sure, the second scenario describes the U.S., where ICD-10-CM is embedded throughout our healthcare system. So, when will the U.S. replace ICD-10-CM and begin using a version of ICD-11 for reporting on healthcare claims? Well, we don’t know yet. But this release of the official ICD-11 is sure to spur activity in this respect. Practices should begin monitoring and planning for evaluating systems and educating providers and coders to ensure a smooth transition. We will keep you posted as we learn more! As always we are here to help with your coding, compliance and education needs. Give us a call if we can help! Devona P.S. Our next Code and Chat date is coming soon! What topics would you like us to dive into? | 
