ABSTRACT
By including the external cause of morbidity codes in International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), the provider is given greater ability to express causation when coding. In ICD-10, the W, V, Y, and Z codes of the Six-Category System should be used to give causation of the diagnosis. The Independent Medical Evaluator will need to determine the causation of the initial injury and the causation of any compensable consequences that are noted in the medical records for their specialty. Apportionment in Worker's Compensation and Personal Injury is a way of determining out how much of physicians patients' permanent disability is due to their work injury and how much is due to other disabilities. This is one of the advantages of ICD-10 coding. It gives physician the flexibility to code your apportionment with injury coding and non-injury coding. They can indicate by their use of the Six-Category System that it is a Worker's Compensation or Personal Injury case.
