Table 1.

Brief comparison of ICD-9 and ICD-10

	ICD-9 (ICD-9-CM)		ICD-10 (ICD-10-CM/PCS)
Dates effective	1979 – 1998 (ICD-9)	1979 – September 2014 (ICD-9-CM)	1999- Present (ICD-10)	October 1, 2015*- TBD (ICD-10-CM/ PCS)
Number of sections	17 Chapters       5,000 categories		21 Chapters       8,000 categories
ICD code features	All numeric		Alpha-numeric
ICD-CM(PCS) code features	Both diagnostic and hospital procedural information within ICD-CM ICD-CM (diagnostic)       3–5 digits       first digit is alpha or numeric       decimal is after the third digit ICD-CM (procedural)       3–4 digits       all digits are numeric       decimal is after the second digit		Separate code used for diagnostic and hospital procedure information ICD-CM       3–7 digits       first digit is alpha       second digit is numeric       digits 3–7 can be alpha or numeric       decimal is after the third digit ICD-PCS       7 digits       digits can be alpha or numeric       no decimal.
Key upgrades	Contained additional codes for underlying disease and disease presentation for certain diagnoses		Contains greater detail for disease conditions and ability to capture additional clinical information

^*At the time of article production, DHHS had planned to announce a required implementation date of October 1, 2015, but had not done so officially.