A Revised ICD-10-CM Surveillance Case Definition for Injury-related Emergency Department Visits

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Administrative data from medical claims are crucial for injury surveillance.
• The transition to International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for medical reporting began October 1, 2015.
• Previous ICD-10-CM surveillance case definitions for injury-related emergency department (ED) visits were proposed in 2017 but lacked available data for testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test and update a proposed ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition for injury-related ED visits.
• To present the revised 2021 ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition for improved injury surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Collaboration between the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and state/local health department epidemiologists.
• Testing of the proposed ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition using newly available ICD-10-CM coded data.
• Iterative refinement and updating of the case definition based on testing results.

Main Results:

• The study successfully tested the proposed ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition.
• The collaborative effort led to the development of an updated and validated case definition.
• The report presents the finalized 2021 revised ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition.

Conclusions:

• The 2021 revised ICD-10-CM surveillance case definition is a validated tool for injury surveillance.
• This updated definition enhances the utility of administrative data for monitoring injury trends.
• The findings support the ongoing use and refinement of ICD-10-CM for public health surveillance.