ICD10CMPCS

ICD10CMPCS refers to the ICD-10-PCS coding system, the United States standard for coding inpatient hospital procedures. It is the procedure coding counterpart to ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding and is used primarily for hospital inpatient reporting, billing, and health statistics.

The ICD-10-PCS coding scheme is seven characters long and alphanumeric. Each character conveys a specific aspect of the procedure: the Section, Body System, Root Operation, Body Part, Approach, Device, and Qualifier. The character set uses digits 0–9 and uppercase letters, excluding I and O to avoid confusion with numeric 1 and 0. This structured approach allows detailed representation of how a procedure was performed, what was done, and with what devices or approaches.

Governance and history: ICD-10-PCS was developed for the United States by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It was introduced to replace the ICD-9-CM Procedure Coding System as part of the broader ICD-10-CM/PCS adoption for inpatient procedures, with ongoing updates published annually in coding handbooks and related guidance.

Uses and considerations: ICD-10-PCS is used for inpatient procedure reporting, billing and reimbursement, and national health statistics. It is not used for outpatient procedures, which are typically coded with other systems such as CPT. Accurate coding requires adherence to official guidelines, coders’ training, and periodic updates, given the system’s extensive and evolving set of codes reflecting diverse surgical and diagnostic interventions.