Provider adoption of code U07.0 reveals trends in vaping-related disorder diagnoses across different demographics and timeframes
In 2019, the United States faced a public health emergency as cases of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury)) surged, particularly among adolescents and young adults. This outbreak prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to introduce ICD-10 code U07.0 for “Vaping-related disorder,” which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented in the U.S. on April 1, 2020. The code aimed to standardize the documentation and tracking of vaping-related health issues across healthcare systems.
Analyzing the Uptake and Impact of U07.0
Utilizing Komodo’s MapLab® Cohort Report and Cohort Events and Patient Counts Over Time dashboards, we tracked the adoption and utilization of code U07.0. We looked at its use between 2020 and 2023 to identify trends in vaping-related disorder diagnoses across different demographics and time frames.
What we learned
- The rate of vaping-related disorder diagnoses nearly doubled, increasing from 6 per 100,000 patients in 2020 to 11 in 2023 — an 83% increase
- The 18–24 age group had the highest year-over-year diagnosis rate, increasing from 23 per 100,000 in 2020 to 34 per 100,000 in 2023 — a 52% increase. Teens below age 18 had a similar year over year increase, but it was a quarter of the overall rate compared to ages 18-24
- While overall rates were lower in older age groups, they still more than doubled among all age groups between ages of 25-54
- Males and females had very similar diagnosis rates in the overall period, at 25 per 100,000 in women vs. 27 in males. Despite this, the rate of growth in women far surpassed that in men, which men was 46% higher than in women in 2020 and only 5% higher than in women in 2023
Although it’s difficult to distinguish between a true increase in injuries and wider adoption of the new diagnostic code, the sustained rise in diagnoses for two to three years after the code’s release suggests both factors are at play.
The Role of Komodo Health’s Tools
Komodo Health’s comprehensive data analytics platform enables stakeholders to track and analyze health trends in real-time. By leveraging its tools, healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers alike can better understand the impact of vaping on public health and develop targeted strategies to address emerging challenges.
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