Final answer:
Instructional notes in the alphabetic index and tabular list of ICD-10-CM are crucial for proper code selection and use in various healthcare settings, such as clinical treatment, lab work, and vital records.
Step-by-step explanation:
Instructional notes in both the alphabetic index and the tabular list are essential when selecting ICD-10-CM codes. In the alphabetic index, these notes provide guidance on the hierarchy and selection of codes. The tabular list includes instructional notes that may give additional information on code usage, sequencing priority, or conditions that must be met before a particular code can be assigned. It is important for medical coders to pay attention to these notes to ensure accurate and effective coding. For example, when a patient seeks treatment for a viral infection, the appropriate ICD codes are essential to guide clinicians in ordering tests and prescribing treatments. The ICD code is then utilized across various sectors of healthcare, such as medical laboratory tests, healthcare management systems, and vital records keeping for morbidity and mortality statistics. Two locations where you would likely find an ICD code are on a patient's medical records for treatment and laboratory work, and on a death certificate to record cause of death.