Question

What is not true about ICD-10-CM?

Select one:
a. Contains 3-7 characters
b. The first 3 characters are the category
c. Character 2 is alpha
d. The last character is the extension

Answer 1

The incorrect statement about ICD-10-CM is that the second character is alpha. Actually, the second character is numeric, not alphabetic. ICD-10-CM employs a 3-7 character structure with the second character always being numeric.

Step-by-step explanation:

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) is a system used by healthcare providers to code and classify all diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care in the United States. The codes consist of 3-7 characters, facilitating a high level of specificity. The first character is an alpha character, representing a broad category that relates to a type of injury or disease. The second character is numeric, providing a categorization that is more specific but still broad.

The third character usually indicates the location of the condition, the system affected, or other vital clinical details. Characters four through six offer further specificity regarding the cause, manifestation, severity, or other clinical detail. The seventh character is termed an extension and is used to provide additional information about the encounter such as whether an injury is initial or subsequent, or if the patient is seen for active treatment or aftercare.