BACKGROUND: The United States (US) introduced ICD-10 on October 1, 2015 and ICD-10 codes have just begun accruing in US data systems. The transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will have profound research and regulatory implications for pharmacoepidemiology studies conducted in US databases. While crosswalks to map ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes are available, there is no guarantee that outcomes and covariates defined using mapped ICD-10 codes will have the same performance characteristics as their validated ICD-9 counterparts. Moreover, the validity of ICD-10 codes may change over time as and physicians and coders gain experience with the new system. Other countries have already transitioned to ICD-10 coding. For example, Denmark began using ICD-10 in 1994, Canada in 2001, and Korea in 2008. ICPE provides an ideal forum to bring together stakeholders with different perspectives and different levels of experience with this transition to discuss lessons learned and strategies for affected entities to move forward.
OBJECTIVES: To provide a forum for discussion of challenges, solutions, and best practices for managing the transition to ICD-10 as it relates to the practice of pharmacoepidemiology. Researchers using data affected by the US transition to ICD-10 or with experience in using ICD-10 codes would benefit by attending.
DESCRIPTION: The transition to ICD-10 in the US represents a major change that is affecting many research organizations. This workshop will bring together panelists from countries that have already implemented ICD-10 and panelists from regulatory and research organizations within the US who are currently preparing for the transition. Panelists will share international experience and insights, as well as discuss optimal strategies for approaching this fundamental change affecting commonly used data sources. A brief presentation from panelists will be followed by discussion and brainstorming regarding the most pressing needs with respect to outcome validation for the field of pharmacoepidemiology. Participants should leave the session feeling better equipped to handle this transition in their respective organizations.
