News: CDC releases FY 2021 ICD-10-CM code update

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted the fiscal year (FY) 2021 ICD-10-CM final code changes. There were no changes to the proposed list of 490 new, 47 revised, and 58 invalidated codes that were released in the FY 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported. 

The final update includes hundreds of new ICD-10-CM codes including (but not limited to):

• 128 additions to Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes for adverse effects and poisoning by fentanyl and tramadol as well as other synthetic narcotics.
• 125 additions to Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity, including more specific codes for collisions involving electric scooters and other nonmotor vehicle accidents.
• 57 musculoskeletal codes, including several in category M24.- (other specific joint derangements) for other articular cartilage disorders, disorders of ligament, pathological dislocation, recurrent dislocation, contracture, and ankylosis.
• 21 codes to describe withdrawal from substances including alcohol, cocaine, and opioids.
• 18 detailed codes for sickle cell anemia. New codes such as D57.213 (sickle-cell/Hb-C disease with cerebral vascular involvement) and D57.431 (sickle-cell thalassemia beta zero with acute chest syndrome) specify complications related to the condition.
• Three codes to capture stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in two new sub-stages. 

The new Chapter 22: Codes for Special Purposes (U00-U85) so far includes just two codes: U07.0 (vaping-related disorder) and U07.1 (COVID-19), which took effect in the early part of this year, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

The final update deletes code Q51.20 (other doubling of uterus, unspecified) and all codes within subcategory T40.4X- (poisoning by adverse effect of and underdosing of other synthetic narcotics), without code replacements.

The CDC released 23 files for the final FY 2021 ICD-10-CM code set. The full list of updates can be found here and the tabular addenda can be found here.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor. To read about the FY IPPS proposed rule, click here.