What classification system do other countries use for medical coding?
Most of the rest of the world is using ICD-10 or a clinical modification of ICD-10. The US is the only industrialized nation not using an ICD-10-based classification system for morbidity reporting. [Back to top] Q: Why does it matter if the rest of the world is moving to ICD-10? A: If we do not adopt ICD-10, we will not have compatible data to compare internationally. As many other countries have already moved to ICD-10, we will be capturing morbidity data using the outdated classification system, ICD-9-CM. This has already led to problems identifying and tracking new health threats. It will severely limit our ability to compare outcomes of new technologies used in the U.S. and abroad. It will also limit our ability for surveillance and to develop and quickly respond to interventions for emerging diseases. We are a global community, it is vital that our health care data represent current medical conditions and technologies and that it is compatible with the international version of ICD
