The International Classification of Disease is a coding system that is accepted globally to document the diseases under categorized codes. It helps healthcare professionals in understanding the health information of patients while also implementing new practices by sharing accurate information. ICD-10 brought several changes in the medicinal practices by controlling the bills and implementing better information among healthcare offices. The WHO once again revised the healthcare coding system and proposed the ICD-11.
Why are ICD codes important?
The ICD coding system aims at identifying, documenting, and reporting the health trends and statistics to the healthcare organizations globally. The ICD codes help the healthcare officials provide healthcare data that can remain consistent and categorized throughout different regions to identify the core problems and find the right solutions to eradicate diseases. ICD codes have several benefits.
- Sharing the ICD codes across different services and facilities creates awareness.
- It also supports evidence-based decision making.
- It speeds up the reporting metrics and allows better classification of health problems.
- The ICD coding system also helps in identifying resource allocation to implement better precautionary measures.
- It also helps in determining final reimbursement for payers and allow more transparency.
- ICD helps all nations keep up with the health trends that take place in different regions at different times
What is ICD-11
With an update to ICD-10, the new coding system, ICD-11, was proposed by the WHO in 2018, and it is expected to come into effect from 1 January 2022. The new coding system will aim to ease the process of transition from ICD-10 and provide enough time for training to the participating nations. However, there are several implications that question whether ICD-11 will be globally accepted or not. It took over four decades for the WHO to implement ICD-10 after ICD-9.
The World Health Organization(WHO) introduces ICD-11 as an updated coding system for the 21st century. It will incorporate new solutions and innovations in healthcare. It will highlight the advancements the healthcare industry has made in science and medicine. WHO wants to adjust the ICD codes according to the changing scenarios, and looking at the health condition of countries in 2020, it is safe to believe that new codes can offer better support.
Key features of ICD-11
The World Health Organization plans on introducing ICD-11 with the most advanced technology and practices. Some of the key features of ICD-11 will include:
- It will be the first completely electronic version of ICD that will be introduced to the healthcare industry.
- Over 30,000 new codes will be added for different disease conditions. It will help the coders to categorize the newly discovered diseases better.
- It will update several classifications of symptoms and illnesses that will help in determining the core problems.
- Five new chapters will be introduced in ICD-11 training, which will include the study of blood and blood-forming organ-related diseases, immune system disorders, sexual health problems, sleeping disorders, traditional medicine coding, and extension codes.