The CDC and CMS have released information that should minimize any chaos associated with the Oct. 1 switch to the new ICD-10-CM codes.
On the CDC's website you'll find
the ICD-10-CM conversion table. The spreadsheet crosswalks current diagnosis codes to the ones you'll use in October. Don't assume that when a current code crosswalks to a new code, it means the current code will be deleted. For example, new code
M62.84 (Sacropenia) crosswalks to
R64 (Cachexia), but R64 will remain in the signs and symptoms chapter.
Head over to CMS, where the agency made good on its promise to deliver the
new GEMs (general equivalence mappings) files in August. One file maps ICD-9 codes to the updated ICD-10 codes, the other maps ICD-10 to ICD-9. As you may recall, one-way mapping can lead to inaccurate coding, so if you're going to use these files, remember to use both. There's also information on how to use them, which should come in handy to your staff and your software vendor.