According to the CMS article, the General Equivalence Mappings were created to ensure that consistency in national data is maintained after the conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10 occurs on Oct. 1, 2013. GEMs act to “crosswalk” ICD-9 codes to ICD-10. Coders can look up an ICD-9 code and view the most appropriate ICD-10 matches and vice versa.
AAPC provides a tutorial that explains ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion and mapping. Access the tutorial here or refer to AAPC’s online ICD-10 code conversion tool, based on the GEMs published by CMS.
Related Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
Physicians, Justice Department Face Off in Lawsuit Over California Medicaid Cuts
Texas Legislature Considers Renewal of Medicaid Women’s Health Program
Aetna to Pay $290M to Acquire Supplemental Medicare Coverage Provider
