Editorial Policy

Sourcing

Every code description, coding note, includes and excludes list, and hierarchy relationship is derived directly from the official public code files published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). We do not paraphrase official descriptions, and we do not copy them from other reference sites.

Separating official data from our commentary

This is the distinction that matters most on a medical reference site, so we make it structurally rather than by disclaimer alone:

Official data - code descriptions, notes, includes and excludes, hierarchy. Reproduced verbatim from CMS and NCHS files.
Our commentary - plain-English summaries, clinical context, documentation guidance, coding tips and FAQs. Written by us, stored separately, and never presented as official text.

Commentary is only published when it adds something the official description does not. We would rather a page carry no commentary than pad it with filler, so many pages show official data alone. That is deliberate.

Annual updates

The ICD-10 code sets are revised once a year, effective October 1. When CMS publishes the new files we reload the full data set and rebuild the site. The year currently in effect is shown on every page. Codes added and deleted in the current cycle are listed on the 2027 changes page.

URLs do not change between years. A page you bookmark or cite this year will still resolve after the next update.

Corrections

If we learn that something on this site is wrong, we fix it. Report errors to [email protected] with the code and page URL; we check the report against the source CMS file and reply either way. We do not quietly remove pages to hide mistakes.

Advertising and independence

If this site carries advertising, advertisements will be clearly distinguishable from editorial content. Advertisers have no input into which codes we cover, what our commentary says, or how pages are ranked or ordered. No page is written, altered or withheld because of a commercial relationship.

Limits