What term refers to the official diagnostic codes used in healthcare settings?

The official diagnostic codes used in healthcare settings are referred to as ICD-10, which stands for the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. This system is essential for the classification of diseases and health-related conditions, enabling healthcare providers to document diagnoses accurately. ICD-10 codes are crucial for billing purposes, research, and health statistics, as they provide a standardized way of recording information about diseases and health issues across different healthcare systems.

The ICD-10 system allows for a detailed classification, which includes a range of codes that reflect various diagnoses. This depth of detail aids in ensuring that patients receive appropriate care and that healthcare organizations can efficiently manage patient records, insurance claims, and epidemiological studies. The use of ICD-10 is mandated for healthcare providers, making it a cornerstone of health information management.

In contrast, other options represent different systems of medical classification. SNOMED focuses on clinical terms used to describe health information, CPT codes are used mainly for reporting medical procedures and services, and DRGs are classifications used for billing hospital services based on clinical and statistical characteristics.