And the new ICD-10 code for FSHD is…

The new ICD-10 code for Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is G71.02. 

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) is a system used by physicians and other healthcare providers to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms and procedures recorded in conjunction with hospital care in the United States.

Codification means a disease is assigned an individual code so that it can be easily recognized within a health information system.

Assigning an individual ICD 10 codes for FSHD will:

• facilitate the surveillance of FSHD;
• will allow more accurate estimates of the condition’s incidence, prevalence, and survivorship;
• allow for tracking of mortality and its causes, injuries, symptoms, and health visits;
• help to identify factors that influence health status and secondary conditions;
• be used to compare health information and outcomes across hospitals, regions, clinical settings, countries, and even across time in a given location;
• serve to track reimbursements;
• facilitate the evaluation of guidelines (implementation, adherence, and impact).

And – at a time when therapeutic treatments for the specific forms of muscular dystrophy are being approved for the first time in history – the ICD codes will enable health information systems to identify patients eligible for these therapies, evaluate the impact of those therapies over time, and ultimately improve quality and quantity of life for those living with FSHD.

The new codes should be implemented automatically by your medical provider, but it never hurts to check with your doctor.