10 facts about ICD-10 for Behavioral Health

Here are some quick ICD-10 facts to help ease your transition from ICD-9:

1. Every behavioral health ICD-10 code starts with an F
2. Overall, the number of total codes jump from 14,000 to 69,000
3. Luckily for behavioral health, 50% of all ICD-10 codes are related to the musculoskeletal system.
4. Overall, there is increased specificity for behavioral health. For example, there are five ICD-10 codes to report insomnia vs one in ICD-9
5. There are also major classification changes to substance use and dependence including drug “use” vs “dependence” vs “abuse”
6. And ICD-10 includes greater precision in identifying childhood disorders
7. However, ICD-10 doesn’t increase the number of codes for ALL diagnosis. In fact, Schizophrenia related codes drop from 56 in the ICD-9 code set to 11 in ICD-10.
8. Nervous for the transition? Mapping tools like the one found in the DSM-5 manual or in EHRs like Valant are valuable training tools to aid you in the transition.
9. What about DSM-5? ICD-10 is a set of diagnostic codes and encompass all medical specialties, where the DSM-5 is a set of diagnostic criteria specific to behavioral health, and generally more detailed/specific
10. However, ICD-10 codes are included on the CMS-1500 forms and are directly linked to reimbursements, where DSM-5 diagnostic criteria are not.

Check out the latest 2023 ICD-10 updates here.

Want to learn more about ICD-10? You can learn all about what the changes mean for Behavioral Health clinicians and billers in our free whitepaper. You can download it here:

If you’re interested in seeing exactly how Valant’s EHR has ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition crosswalk tools built directly into the tool, you can see a demo by requesting one below.