The 2025 updates to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) are now in effect, running from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. While perhaps not as eagerly awaited as a Taylor Swift album drop, these changes are essential for healthcare professionals and providers to understand.
Classifying Morbidity & Mortality
ICD-10-CM is the US morbidity classification system used for categorizing diagnoses and reasons for healthcare visits. Four key organizations form the Cooperating Parties responsible for its maintenance: the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
ICD-10-CM is based on the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), which standardizes mortality statistics by classifying causes of death for death certificates, then translates those reported conditions into medical codes that enhance understanding of human mortality.
Update Highlights
This year’s update includes 252 new codes, 36 deletions, 13 revisions, and a conversion table that identifies inactive codes and their replacements. Update highlights include new codes for cancer in remission, hypoglycemia, obesity, eating disorders, adult mental and behavioral health conditions, synovitis and tenosynovitis, pulmonary artery embolisms, anal and rectal fistulas, and alopecia.
While the update adds fewer than the 395 new codes introduced in 2023, the trend toward more detailed coding continues, reflecting broader efforts toward transparency in medical data and payment reforms.
Access & Training
The updated 2025 ICD-10-CM guidelines are available on the CMS website and should be used alongside the official ICD-10-CM. Alternatively, ICD-10-CM 2025: The Complete Official Codebook, can be purchased through the American Medical Association (AMA) storefront on Amazon for $112.67.
For those needing training, CMS offers a free 1-hour course, “Diagnosis Coding: Using the ICD-10-CM,” aimed at healthcare providers, coders, and billing professionals.
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Originally Published On: Physicians Weekly
Photo courtesy of: Nastinka
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