Medical Coding Training Institute in Baramati
RB Medical Coding

ICD-10-CM is updated not just annually but multiple times per year through National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) and quarterly releases. Recent changes in April 2026 and earlier in July 2025 remind coders that guidelines shift subtly throughout the year, affecting diagnosis reporting and payer rules. It’s not enough to learn once — you need ongoing review habits like checking official CMS coding updates and guideline changes, especially before exams or clinical rotations. Study habit: Set a recurring weekly reminder to scan CMS or AHIMA update pages — even 15 minutes a week keeps you ahead of surprise edits.

One of the biggest themes in recent ICD-10 updates is specificity — meaning codes now let you describe conditions in much greater detail. For example, there are new codes for different levels of obesity and lymphoma remission statuses, expanded categories for conditions like anal and rectal fistulas, and social determinants of health Z-codes that help capture non-medical factors affecting care. These changes may seem small, but they matter in billing accuracy and exam prep. Exam strategy: Focus on understanding why additional characters and specificity matter — exams love to test sequencing and specificity logic, not just memorization.

The American Medical Association (AMA) released the 2025 CPT® code set with about 420 total changes, including 270 new codes, 112 deletions, and 38 revisions. This is big for students because CPT is core to both hands-on coding work and CPC/CCS exam scenarios. Many of these updates reflect new medical procedures and technology advancements — meaning you’ll see exams and real cases that ask you to code things that didn’t exist in older books. Quick take: Make sure your CPT learning materials are updated — if you’re using older guides, supplement them with the latest AMA publications or online CPT update lists.