ICD-10 Updates 10/1/2025

A message from our Association's Insurance Help Desk facilitator, Lisa Maciejewski-West, CMC CMOM CMIS CPCO CPMA, Owner/Founder of Gold Star Medical Business Services.

It's that time of year! October 1 of each year is the day that updates to the ICD10 Code Book take effect. Why did the 2026 ICD10 Code Changes take effect October 1, 2025,and not January 1, 2026? Simply put, October 1 is the beginning of the government’s fiscal year. And the ICD10 Code Book is managed in the USA by the CDC's National Center on Health Statistics, a federal government entity. Each year all 70,000+ ICD10codes are reviewed and either kept "as is", expanded to allow for better specificity, or deleted altogether. How does this affect billing? If you use a code that is no longer billable...it's either been deleted or a more specific code has been created under that particular code tree, you claim will likely be denied. For chiropractors, it's important to pay particular attention to the changes/updates in Chapter 13 of the ICD10 Codebook, “Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue” (CodesM00–M99). This isn't the only Chapter that may contain updates pertinent to Chiropractors. For example, "sprain/strain" codes (injury codes starting with the letter "S") are found in Chapter 19 “Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes” (Codes S00–T88).

The table below contains a summary of some of the key ICD10 changes that could affect chiropractors. This is by no means a comprehensive list. Always refer to the newest ICD10 Code book to confirm that the codes you wish to use are still in use! If you receive a rejection from your clearinghouse or payer on an ICD10 code that you have been using, check for updates to that code. Most of the time the code has been expanded to add more specificity to it. While the code you are using has not necessarily been deleted from the code book, the higher level of specificity would make the old code unbillable.

For Chiropractors, a complete copy of a 73,000+ code book may be a little bit of overkill. If you want a great resource ICD10 Code Book specifically for DC's, check out Mario Fucinari's book 2026 ICD-10 Coding of the Top 100 Conditions for the Chiropractic Office. www.askmario.com.

For more information about how Gold Star Medical can help you with your Insurance Billing, Credentialing and Compliance needs, reach out to Lisa through your Help Desk link or email Lisa directly at info@goldstarmedical.net.

Warmest Regards,
Lisa Maciejewski-West, CMC, CMOM, CMIS, CPCO-I
Owner/Founder, Gold Star Medical Business Services
National Advisory Board Member, American Medical Billing Association (AMBA)
Approved Instructor, American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
Board Member, Texas State Office of Risk Management
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