Why was there a need for ICD-11?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the need to revise and update the current classification (ICD-10). The revision goals for ICD-11 included the following:
- To revise the ICD classification in line with scientific advances to serve multiple purposes, including mortality and morbidity statistics, as well as clinical use in primary care, specialty care and research
- To build a state-of-the-art, digital-first product that can be integrated into electronic health applications to support computer-assisted data capture
What’s new with ICD-11?
ICD-11 is designed to seamlessly integrate with modern health information systems, supporting interoperability and facilitating efficient health information exchange. Developed through extensive global collaboration, ICD-11 reflects input from health care professionals, researchers and policy-makers worldwide, ensuring its relevance and applicability on an international scale.
What is the ICD-11 MMS?
The ICD-11 MMS is the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. Its use allows systematic collection of mortality and morbidity data for analysis and reporting.
When will the ICD-11 MMS be used in Canada for morbidity reporting?
ICD-10-CA is the current standard used in Canada to collect hospital morbidity statistics. A specific date for introducing ICD-11 MMS in Canada has not yet been determined. CIHI is assessing the clinical, business and statistical implications of implementing the new version for morbidity statistics in Canada.
What is the decision-making process for adopting ICD-11 MMS in Canada?
The decision-making process for adopting ICD-11 for morbidity has not yet been determined. It is anticipated that the same process followed for ICD-10-CA adoption will occur. That is, the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health will make the decision. CIHI will lead the implementation of ICD-11 for morbidity and Statistics Canada will lead the implementation for mortality.
Will there be a Canadian version of ICD-11 MMS?
CIHI is investigating whether a Canadian version of the ICD-11 MMS is required. Refer to the WHO’s ICD-11 Reference Guide for information regarding what a country can and cannot do with respect to a national linearization (version) of ICD-11 MMS.
Can ICD-11 be used in health care settings beyond hospitals?
ICD-11 was designed for potential use in primary care, specialty care (e.g., dermatology, rare diseases, congenital anomalies) and research (e.g., quality and patient safety).
Where can I find an outline describing the key differences between ICD-10 and ICD-11?
Refer to the ICD-11 Reference Guide, specifically 3.15: Annex D: Differences between ICD-10 and ICD-11.
What are the technical specifications for ICD-11 and the Coding Tool?
Refer to the WHO’s ICD-11 home page for information regarding the ICD API (application program interface).
Where can I find information about the format of ICD-11 MMS codes, extension codes, postcoordination, etc.?
Refer to the ICD-11 Reference Guide for information regarding the structure of ICD-11 codes, extension codes, postcoordination and much more.
Where can I find published papers related to ICD-11?
Refer to ICD-11-related publications in the journal BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. It’s a great place to start!
Where can I find the ICD-11 morbidity tabulation list?
Access the ICD-11 browser from the WHO’s ICD-11 home page, open the ICD-11 browser, go to the Info tab and click Morbidity List to download the list.
Is there an ICD-11 implementation and transition guide?
The WHO has developed a guide written from an international perspective. CIHI is currently using this guide as a resource. Refer to the guide on the WHO’s ICD-11 home page.
Where can I find key facts about ICD-11 to share with our stakeholders?
The WHO has prepared the ICD-11 Fact Sheet covering the following topics:
- What is ICD-11?
- Improvements in ICD-11
- Why the WHO is interested in countries moving to ICD-11
- Other applications for ICD-11
- The WHO response
- General aspects of implementation
- WHO Family of Classifications
How frequently will the ICD-11 MMS be updated?
See Annex A of the WHO’s ICD-11 Reference Guide for information on updating and maintaining ICD-11. In summary,
- Official releases of the ICD-11 MMS linearization will be produced annually. These releases will not impact the 4- and 5-character structure.
- Releases that impact the 4- and 5-character structure will be released every 5 years.
- Updates to mortality and morbidity rules will happen every 10 years.
Where do I find what has changed in a particular version of the ICD-11 MMS?
Access the ICD-11 MMS browser from the WHO’s ICD-11 home page, open the ICD-11 browser, go to the Info tab and click Earlier releases and Update history. Here you can download the file you’re interested in based on the release year.
Where can I find out about other countries’ experiences with implementation?
See ICD-11 pilot experiences above for available information.
What will happen to the Canadian Coding Standards?
As part of the impact assessment work, we will review the current national coding standards for ICD-10-CA to assess what will and will not be required when we move to ICD-11. We will also assess whether any new Canadian standards will need to be developed.
Will CCI (Canadian Classification of Health Interventions) remain for the classification of health interventions?
There are no current plans to replace CCI.
What about SNOMED? Do I still need ICD-11?
SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine — Clinical Terms) and ICD-11 serve different but complementary purposes in health care data management, with specific but interconnected roles.
SNOMED CT is used primarily for clinical documentation, electronic health records (EHRs), decision-support systems and interoperability between health care systems. ICD serves as the global standard for categorizing diseases and health-related conditions, and ICD-11 has been designed to ensure consistent, comparable and statistically reliable data.
SNOMED CT does not replace the need for ICD-11 but rather complements it by providing detailed clinical information that can be mapped to ICD-11 codes for various applications.
Will ICD-11 support automated data collection?
Yes, one of the WHO’s revision goals was to build a state-of-the-art, digital-first product that can be integrated into electronic health applications to support computer-assisted data capture. Refer to the WHO’s ICD-11 home page for information regarding the ICD application program interface (API) and embedded classification tool (ECT). The ECT allows easy integration of a complete ICD-11 Coding Tool and/or ICD-11 browser into any web-based software.
