2005 ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Codes – No Implementation Grace Period

The HIPAA Transaction and Code Set Rule requires the use of national/medical code sets (such as ICD-9s) that are valid at the time the service is rendered. All claims for services on or after October 1, 2004 must adhere to the 2005 diagnosis code changes.

In past years, ICD-9 codes became effective for Medi-Cal in January or February. Though code updates were released in October, Medi-Cal implementation was delayed to coincide with Medicare implementation. Medi-Cal allowed a 90-day grace period to allow you to become familiar with the new codes and learn about discontinued codes. This year there is no grace period for use of the codes on claim submissions.

Refer to the 2005 International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, 6th Edition (ICD-9-CM book) for code descriptions.