November 3, 1999 HIPAA Announcement:

Updated ICD-9 Coding Guidelines Take Effect

12/07/05

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics, two agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, recently released updated guidelines, effective December 1, for using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnostic and procedure codes to report and bill for medical services. Approved by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the other three organizations that serve as cooperating parties for the ICD-9-CM, the guidelines are a set of rules that have been developed to complement the official conventions and instructions provided within the ICD-9-CM. Adherence to the guidelines is required under HIPAA.

Read the guidelines:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/ftpserv/ftpicd9/icdguide05.pdf