ICD-9 is an outdated medical classification system used in the US from 1979 to 1998. It was replaced by ICD-10, which is the current system used to classify diseases and conditions for medical records. The World Health Organization assigns and publishes the ICD to track mortality rates and classify diseases. The ICD codes are alphanumeric and represent any known disease, condition, or circumstance that could cause death. The ICD is updated annually with minor revisions and every three years with major revisions.
ICD-9 is an acronym used in the medical field that stands for International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision. In the United States, the ICD-9 covered the years 1979 to 1998. Currently, the ICD-10, which is the 10th revision, is in effect as the most up-to-date database of disease classifications. The ICD-9 was used in the United States until the 10th revision was fully implemented in 10, although the actual revision was concluded some years earlier.
The ICD is used to provide a standard classification of diseases for medical record purposes. The World Health Organization (WHO) assigns, publishes and uses the ICD to classify diseases and track mortality rates based on death certificates and other vital health documents. Medical conditions and diseases are translated into a single format with the use of ICD codes. The current ICD-10 varies slightly from the previous ICD-9 and includes almost double the number of categories in a total of three volumes.
The current ICD classifications are alphanumeric codes that represent any known disease, condition, or circumstance that has or could cause a person’s death. The classifications are as specific as possible. For example, cancer is a leading cause of death, but the ICD provides a specific classification for each type of cancer, from lung cancer to breast cancer and so on. Additionally, there are ICD classifications assigned to deaths not caused by disease, such as suicide, homicide, and accidental death. The 9/11 attacks on the United States led to further classifications for terrorism deaths.
Many of the ICD-9 codes remain unchanged in the most recent revision and only where there has been a need to classify further or provide new classifications has the ICD-9 changed. Individuals in the healthcare profession who manage healthcare information and records must constantly keep abreast of changes and modifications applied to the ICD.
The ICD has been in use since its inception in 1900. It is updated annually with minor revisions and every three years with major revisions, and is reissued in a fully revised version every ten years. It has been published by WHO since 1970. The US Department of Health and Human Services publishes its own further indexed version of the ICD to include diagnostic and operative procedures, which is currently ICD-9-CM, which means clinically modified. In addition to statistics and mortality rates, the ICD is used for medical records, reimbursement systems and public data.
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