The International Classification of Diseases is written and published by the World Health Organization. This classification is used worldwide for mortality statistics, medical insurance reimbursement systems, and adds to the standardization for treatment of common diseases and illnesses. This system is designed to promote international comparability in the collection, processing, classification, and presentation of these statistics.

Currently, the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) 9th revision is the most widely used set. It is used in assigning codes to diagnoses associated with inpatient, outpatient, and medical office utilization in the United States. The ICD-9-CM is based on the ICD-9 but provides for additional morbidity detail. The clinical modification (CM) was created by The National Center for Health Statistics as an extension of ICD-9 system. Currently, The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are the U.S. governmental agencies responsible for overseeing all changes and modifications to the ICD-9-CM.

We here at Medical Billing and Coding know how time intensive it is to find the correct codes for diseases and clinical procedures. Many insurance claim denials are due to human error in recording the correct ICD-9 code in medical billing forms. In order to minimize claim denials, we have developed a free web based application for website owners to use freely to search for correct ICD-9 codes. Feel free to download from the imbed code below and use the widget on your own site!