ICD codes are the international standard diagnostic classification used for what purpose?

• A. To classify patient satisfaction data.
• B. To code surgical instruments.
• C. For all medical data concerning the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations and for health management purposes.
• D. To track medication inventories.

Answer: (C)

ICD codes are the international standard diagnostic classification used to systematically categorize diagnoses and health problems so they can be tracked across populations and used for health management. This coding makes it possible to measure how often diseases occur (incidence) and how widespread they are (prevalence), monitor public health trends, guide resource planning, and support reimbursement and quality measurement. They’re not meant for patient satisfaction data, they don’t code surgical instruments, and they aren’t used to track medication inventories.