ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Structure
| ICD-9 CM |
ICD-10 CM |
| Three to five characters in length |
Three to seven alphanumeric characters |
| First digit is numeric but can be alpha (E or V) |
First character always alpha. All letters used except U |
| Second, third, fourth & fifth digits are numeric |
Character number 2 is always numeric. Characters #3 - #7 can be alpha or numeric |
| Decimal placed after the first three characters (or with E codes, placed after first four characters) |
Decimal placed after the first three characters |
| Alpha characters are not case sensitive |
Alpha characters are not case sensitive |
| Approximately 14,567 |
Approximately 69,832 |
| Limited space for adding codes (Minimal) |
Flexible (Extensive) |
| Laterality is lacking |
Laterality provides specificity |
| Specificity is limited |
Specificity is extensive |
| United States |
Most countries |
| 17 Chapters |
21 Chapters |
| V and E codes are in supplemental classifications |
V and E supplemental classifications are incorporated into the main classification |
| Included in the Nervous System |
Disease of Eyes and Ears are in their individual chapters |
| Classifies injuries by type |
Groups injuries first by specific site (head, arm, leg, and such) and then by type of injury (fracture, open would, and the like) |
| |
Postoperative complications have been moved to procedure-specific body system chapters |
| Gout has been reclassified from the endocrine chapter in ICD-9-CM to the Musculoskeletal chapter in ICD-10-CM |
Certain diseases have been reclassified (or reassigned) to a more appropriate chapter to reflect current medical knowledge |
| Refers back to fourth and fifth digits |
Includes full code titles for all codes |
| |
Addition of a sixth character in some chapters |
| |
Addition of code extensions (seventh character) for obstetrics, injuries and external causes of injury (Addition of placeholder – X) |