C. ICD-10 Diagnostic Subsystem

The CSIH demonstration software collects diagnostic data from each patient event using ICD-10 diagnostic codes. In the example of the pregnant teenager who has pre-eclampsia, an ICD-10 code of "O14.9" would be entered by the physician.

Although the printed ICD-10 books could be used to find the code, it is much easier to use a computer to locate a code using an electronic "book."

1. You can automatically perform a search for key words such as "pre-eclampsia" or "toxemia."
2. The code finder can be used to review sections of the manual in an section related to the condition you are trying to code. Because the ICD-10 manual is organized around diseases and body systems, you may find a code that better fits the diagnosis by reviewing codes in the vicinity of a similar diagnosis.
3. If there are cross-references given for a specific diagnosis, it is very convenient to be able to jump automatically to the reference without turning the pages of a book or searching an index.

Using the ICD-10 Code Finder

The main code finder entry form is shown in the figure above. If you know approximately what the code is, you can enter the chapter or block to limit the boundaries of the search.

Alternatively, you could enter a search criteria consisting of one or more diagnostic terms. If you have entered a chapter or block, the search will be confined to that section of codes. If you discover that too many codes are retrieved you can change the search criteria to a more restrictive one by "subtracting" diagnostic terms you do not want.

Once you have made an initial inquiry, the form shown above is displayed. You can click on an entry in the Block and Code column to view the contents of the code book. The figure below shows a section of the code book that has been displayed by the program.

You can click on to expand those topics that have hidden subtopics. You can click on to collapse topics that are not useful. Moreover, cross-references in the code book can looked up by clicking on the codes that are underlined.

An Example

Suppose that you wish to find a diagnosis for "pre-eclampsia." If you know that this disease is listed in chapter XV, you could choose chapter XV in the code finder. If you know that it falls in the "O" block, you could enter the partial block code. If you have no idea whatsoever, you could enter "pre-eclampsia" in the Search criteria. Indeed, you would find the diagnosis code in one step if you use this last method.

Suppose, though, you decided to search the chapter first. The following screen shows what happens after chapter XV has been chosen.

There are 9 blocks in this chapter and you could select block O10-O16 by checking its checkbox and clicking on the Select button. This action would return you to the code finder page so that you can further specify your choice.

Alternatively, you could click on the range of codes shown as "(O10-O16)." This would open a second window that contains the electronic code book showing that block. The window would also show the beginning of the chapter and the other blocks in the same chapter. This is shown in the figure below.

Now you can expand the block and view the sub-blocks or diagnosis codes within by clicking on . If you wish to view the possible subcategories, you could expand the category in the same way that you expanded the block. The result is shown in the figure below.

Now you can either manually enter the "O14.9" for the event or you can return to the code finder form to check to appropriate checkbox and select the code.

You can leave the window containing the electronic code book open whenever you using the HIS. Then, if you need to look up a code, the electronic code book is at your fingertips. You can speed your searches even more by setting bookmarks to those pages that contain the diagnoses you most frequently use.