Changes in Inpatient Coding for Hepatic Encephalopathy After Introduction of ICD-10 Code K76.82

An ICD-10 code specific for hepatic encephalopathy (HE), K76.82, was introduced in October of 2022. We aimed to assess changes in HE documentation following the introduction of this code. Using the National Inpatient Sample, we compared utilization of ICD-10 codes historically used to identify HE before and after K76.82. From 2016 to 2021, 20.0% of cirrhosis hospitalizations included a non-specific HE code, decreasing to 4.7% in 2023. K76.82 was used in 20.3% of hospitalizations in 2023. The introduction of K76.82 has dramatically changed the documentation of HE, and future studies assessing HE trends and outcomes need to account for these changes.