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Diagnosis Coding:
Using the ICD-10-CM

Coding Conventions

Punctuation

The official guidelines include these 3 punctuation symbols:

  • ( ) Parentheses: Used in both the Alphabetic Index and the Tabular List to enclose supplementary words that may be present or absent in the statement of a disease or procedure without affecting the code number to which it’s assigned. The terms within parentheses are referred to as nonessential modifiers.
  • [ ] Brackets: Used in the Alphabetic Index to show manifestation codes. Used in the Tabular List to enclose synonyms, alternative wording, or explanatory phrases.
  • : Colons: Used in the Tabular List after an incomplete term that needs 1 or more modifiers following the colon to make it assignable to a given category.