Using the ICD-10 Selector

Use the ICD-10 code selector to find and add ICD-10 (and 9) codes in the Quick Add Patient, Edit Case, and SOAP note sections of the application. The steps below describe how to use the ICD-10 selector.

Searching for ICD-10 Codes

Search for ICD-10 codes in several ways. These include searching by ICD-10 code, by code name or description, and by ICD-9 code. Our robust search engine will return the most relevant results. Here’s how to search the ICD-10 code library:

Searching by Keywords

This allows you to search by code description or clinical condition. For example, as shown below, you could enter the keywords “arm pain” to search for the appropriate ICD-10 code.

For the best search results, try searching by related descriptions, condition names, and synonyms. For example, instead of searching for “achilles bursitis,” try searching for “achilles tendinitis.”

Searching by ICD-10 Code

If you know all or part of the ICD-10 code, type it into the search field. This may lead you to the exact code; if not, it should at least get you to the correct family of codes.

As shown below, a (+) icon will appear to the left of some codes. Click on this icon to expand the code options for that family or category of codes. This will allow you to choose from a list of more specific codes.

The first page of search results shows a maximum of five codes. These are the codes that most closely match your search criteria. To see the next five closest results, click  Load More… at the bottom of the screen.

Searching by ICD-9 Code

To use the ICD-9 to ICD-10 crosswalk feature, select the Search By ICD-9 checkbox that appears above the Search button. Then, enter the ICD-9 code you wish to convert to ICD-10.

Please note that some searches will yield ICD-10 codes denoted as “unspecified.”  While these are valid and complete ICD-10 codes, they may not be descriptive enough with respect to the patient’s case or documentation. As shown in the example below, a search for 719.41 will yield M25.519, Pain in unspecified shoulder, as a one-to-one match.

To add an ICD-10 code to the case or note, click on the code. If the code is complete (i.e., billable) it will appear at the top of the selector screen with a green checkmark, as shown below.

Here are a few additional details about this tool:

• Clicking the trashcan icon to the right of the code removes the code from the selected codes list.
• Clicking the pencil icon to the right of the code allows the user to edit or change the selection.
• If you’ve selected multiple codes, clicking the ⊕ icon to the right of an individual code adds that particular code to the note or case (the rest of the selected codes will not be added).
• Clicking the Add All Codes button that appears below the listed codes adds all selected codes to the note or case.
• Clicking the Delete All Codes button that appears below the listed codes removes all codes from the selected codes list.

To add another code to the list, click the blue  ⊕ Create a new code link that appears below the code list. Or, simply search for and select a new code.

If you select an incomplete code, a yellow exclamation mark will appear to the left of the code, as shown below. Our system will allow you to add incomplete codes to a patient’s case or documentation; you will then be able to edit/complete it before you finalize.

Please note that WebPT will not allow users to finalize notes containing incomplete codes. If you attempt to do so, you will see the following alert messages:

Exploring Search Results

ICD-10 uses a smart coding structure that enables users to quickly break down codes within the code selector. (To learn more about the code structure, check out our blog post on Understanding the ICD-10 Code Structure.) Basically, each character represents an additional degree of specificity, as illustrated in the diagram below.

If you would like to remove a layer of specificity—and thus, display a larger list of possible options—simply click on a box to the left of the last character displayed. For example, let’s say you search for “S86.011A,” which is the code for “Strain of right Achilles tendon, initial encounter.”

If you would like to explore related coding options, you could click on the “1” immediately to the left of the seventh character “A”; this will search for all codes containing the characters “S86.011,” thus expanding your list of options, as shown below.

To take this process a step further, you could click the next “1” character to search for all results containing the characters “S86.01,” thus expanding your list of options even more, as shown below.

Next, you could click the “.0” to search for results containing the characters “S86.0,” as shown below.

Finally, you could click “S86” to search for all results in that code family. This will enable you to fully explore the coding options for injuries of muscles, fascia, and tendons at the lower-leg level.

Using the ICD-10 Favorites Tab

You can save commonly used ICD-10 codes as favorites. Click here to learn more.

Choosing Primary Codes

Within the diagnosis code list, users can now easily designate primary codes. To mark a code as primary, use the up and down arrows that appear to the right of each code. The code listed first is automatically designated the primary diagnosis.

If ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes are chosen, they are grouped according to code set. This is common when a patient has a primary and secondary insurance and one has not yet transitioned to ICD-10.