Rewind: ICD-10-CM by the Alphabet
I like to review the ICD-10-CM by the alphabet at least once per year as it provides an easy way to memorize ICD-10-CM codes or at least the chapters. Last year, I did this review in table form. This year, I thought that I would do the review using pictures.
Chapter 1 is Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A-B), and the mnemonic is Advancing Bugs. 
Neoplasms are in Chapter 2 and include the beginning letters of C and D. The mnemonic is Cancer and Death.
Chapter 3 (Diseases of Blood and Blood Forming Organs and Certain Disorders Involving the Immune Mechanism) which includes the last portion of the D codes. The mnemonic is Dracula.
The Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases are found in Chapter 4. These codes begin with E and the mnemonic is Endocrine.
Chapter 5 (Mental, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders) begins with the F. The mnemonic is Freud. 
The Diseases of the Nervous System are found in Chapter 6 and the codes begin with letter G. The mnemonic is “Gittery”. 
Chapter 7 includes the Diseases of the Eye begin with “H” and the mnemonic is Hyphema. 
The Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process have a mnemonic of Hearing. These “H” codes can be found in Chapter 8. 
Chapter 9 contains the Diseases of the Circulatory System. These codes begin with “I” and the mnemonic is Infarction. 
Chapter 10 contains Diseases of the Respiratory System. These codes begin with the letter “J”. The mnemonic is “Just Gasping”. 
Chapter 11 is halfway through ICD-10-CM and begin with “K”. The mnemonic for Chapter 11 representing Diseases of the Digestive System is “Knot in Stomach”. 
Chapter 12 codes begin with the letter “L” and have a mnemonic of “Lipoma”. The Diseases of Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue are represented with this picture: 
Chapter 13 includes Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and begin with letter “M”. The mnemonic is “Musculoskeletal”. 
The Diseases of the Genitourinary System begin with the letter “N” and can be found in Chapter 14. The mnemonic is “Nocturia”. 
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Puerperium codes begin with “O” and can be found in Chapter 15. The mnemonic is “Obstetrics.
Chapter 16 (Certain Conditions Arising in Perinatal Period) codes begin with “P” and the mnemonic is Newborn. 
Congenital Malformations, Deformations, and Chromosomal Abnormalities are found in Chapter 17. The mnemonic is Quirky, and the codes begin with “Q”. 
Chapter 18 contains Signs, Symptoms, and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings. These codes begin with “R” and the mnemonic is “Relative Symptoms”. 
The Chapter 19 codes are “Simply Traumatic” that begin with letter “S and T”. The title of this chapter is Injuries and Poisonings. 
Chapter 20 codes represent the External Cause Codes and begin with letters “V, W, X, and Y”. The mnemonics for this chapter of Vehicle, Whoops, eXposure, and whY.
Chapter 21 (Factors Influencing Health Status) codes begin with letter “Z”. The Z codes have a mnemonic of Zero Problems. 
The newest chapter is Chapter 22 which is titled Codes for Special Purposes. These codes begin with the letter “U” and the mnemonic is “Unusual”…
While the mnemonics do not provide the entire code, it is a mechanism to know the approximate meaning for the ICD-10-CM code. Please enjoy the association.
Programming Note: Listen to Laurie Johnson live every Tuesday during Talk Ten Tuesdays, 10 Eastern.
Resources: 2021 ICD-10-CM Manual
Last month, the medical staff at a Twin Cities hospital were treating a patient for a traumatic head injury. The patient was brought in by
While many in hospitals find understanding the new regulations on Medicare Advantage (MA) plan denials challenging, it appears that the payers are also having a
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Expert presenters Kathy Pride, RHIT, CPC, CCS-P, CPMA, and Brandi Russell, RHIA, CCS, COC, CPMA, break down complex fracture care coding rules, walk through correct modifier application (-25, -57, 54, 55), and clarify sequencing for initial and subsequent encounters. Attendees will gain the practical knowledge needed to submit clean claims, ensure compliance, and stay one step ahead of payer audits in 2026.
Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.
Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.
Sepsis remains one of the most frequently denied and contested diagnoses, creating costly revenue loss and compliance risks. In this webcast, Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, provides practical, real-world strategies to align documentation with coding guidelines, reconcile Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, and apply compliant queries. You’ll learn how to identify and address documentation gaps, strengthen provider engagement, and defend diagnoses against payer scrutiny—equipping you to protect reimbursement, improve SOI/ROM capture, and reduce audit vulnerability in this high-risk area.
Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.
As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Get clear, practical answers to Medicare’s most confusing regulations. Join Dr. Ronald Hirsch as he breaks down real-world compliance challenges and shares guidance your team can apply right away.
Federal auditors are zeroing in on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and hospital rehab unit services, with OIG and CERT audits leading to millions in penalties—often due to documentation and administrative errors, not quality of care. Join compliance expert Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, to learn the five clinical “pillars” of IRF-PPS admissions, key documentation requirements, and real-life case lessons to help protect your revenue.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 1 with code CYBER25
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
