Overview of ICD-10

ICD-10 stands for the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, and it is designed to promote international comparability in the collection, processing, and classification of morbidity and mortality statistics. The ICD-10 contains a wide range of codes that categorize various diagnoses and medical conditions, such as infectious and parasitic diseases, neoplasms, and diseases of the blood, among others. The codes consist of up to seven characters including a combination of letters and numbers that specify particular diseases or health conditions. For example, the ICD-10 code I10 is used for essential hypertension. The full list of ICD-10 codes and their corresponding descriptions can be accessed via free online databases and web-based query applications provided by organizations such as the National Center for Health Statistics. The system is used globally by healthcare providers for accurate diagnosis coding and medical billing, contributing to enhanced patient care and efficient healthcare management.