If the provider asks you to look up a diagnosis code, what manual (book) will you use?

• A. CPT
• B. DSM
• C. SNOMED
• D. ICD

Answer: (D)

When you need a diagnosis code, you use the ICD manual. ICD codes are the standard for documenting diseases, conditions, and reasons for visits, and they’re what get used on billing claims and in health statistics. In the United States, you’d typically work with ICD-10-CM for diagnosis coding.

The other options serve different roles: CPT codes describe procedures and services, not diagnoses. The DSM is a manual for psychiatric diagnoses used mainly in clinical or research settings, not for billing codes. SNOMED is a comprehensive clinical terminology used in electronic health records for interoperability, but it isn’t the standard billing diagnosis code set. So the ICD is the appropriate reference for looking up a diagnosis code.