AAGL Launches Historic Update to ICD 10 Endometriosis Codes
Our mission at the AAGL is to promote progress in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and to improve women’s healthcare worldwide. I am pleased to announce a momentous leap forward in the care, treatment, and research of endometriosis. In 2016, the AAGL commissioned Dr. Ted T.M. Lee to be the AAGL liaison to the ACOG Coding Committee. Here Dr. Lee began to better understand the full scope of the coding problem for endometriosis.
In the 1970s, a handful of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for endometriosis were developed. Though codes for other diseases were updated, the endometriosis codes have not been revised in 40 years. The implications of having codes that accurately represent various manifestations of the disease are endless. These include disease tracking, determining service planning, assessing disparities in care, allocating resources appropriately, and improving diagnosis accuracy.
In September 2020, Dr. Lee made his initial presentation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) educating them on the range of the disease and advocating for a full revision of the ICD 10 endometriosis codes. He then set out to develop the over 100 new codes that are now approved and available for use. Thanks to his tireless advocacy, the ICD 10 codes for endometriosis will now accurately track this debilitating disease that affects so many. This will also serve as basis for change in procedure codes in the future.
This important initiative is long overdue and is a great victory for women worldwide who suffer from endometriosis, and also for the physicians who work so diligently to treat them. “Without a proper diagnosis established,” says Dr. Lee, “you can’t track the disease. These new codes validate the experiences of our patients by giving a title to their suffering and making their diagnosis trackable for study. It also validates the work of physicians by accurately recording treatment. By learning the full epidemiology of the disease, we can better attack it and help more women.”
This historic undertaking will have a ripple effect long into the future as we see new research emerge from these codes and new treatment options developed. AAGL has lived the heart of our mission through our support of this important project that is now improving healthcare worldwide for generations to come.
The new Endometriosis Codes can be found under section N80, page 39, of the ICD-10-CM Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries 2023 Addenda here: 2023 ICD 10 End Code Under N80, page 39
