Author Description

The 2026 ICD-10-CM Expert for Hospitals with Guidelines, with our hallmark features and format, makes facing the challenge of accurate diagnosis coding easier for acute care and long-term care hospitals (LTCH). This code book contains the complete ICD-10-CM code set, MCEs, and ICD-10 MS-DRG edits with symbols identifying codes for comorbidities/complications (CC) and major comorbidities/complications (MCC). Also identified are hospital acquired conditions (HAC) and CMS hierarchical condition categories (HCC). Key Features and Benefits: NEW - Optum Edge - ICONS for April updates. Easily distinguish between April and October new and revised codes with green icons for April and black for October changes. NEW - Optum Edge - Expanded Table of Drugs and Chemicals. Expanded to include updated drugs and codes listed with associated intent with icon to easily identify the added drugs. Optum Edge - Intuitive features and format. Visual alerts, including color-coding and symbols that identify coding notes and instructions, additional character requirements, placeholder X, Medicare Code Edits (MCE), manifestation codes, unspecified site codes, unspecified codes, HCCs, and more. Product Updates. April and other ICD-10-CM changes and updates, as well as updateable files for MCCs, CC Excludes PDx collection, and POA exempt codes will be made available on the Optum Product Update page on Optumcoding.com for our valued ICD-10-CM customers. Coding tips and clinical definitions. Coding tips assist in appropriate code selection, while clinical definitions provide a better understanding of complex ICD-10-CM diagnostic terms. List of code changes and conversion table. A list of all 2026 new, revised, and deleted codes. Plus, an ICD-10-CM conversion table from the new and changed codes to the code previously used. Updated index with shaded guides. The updated Index to Diseases and Injuries includes vertical shaded guides that show the indent levels for subentries under main terms. Gui