EPSDT DC: 0-5 Crosswalk Reference

The DC:0–5™ Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood is a system designed for diagnosing mental health and developmental disorders in young children, based on developmental stages. Released in 2016 by Zero to Three, it incorporates new findings related to diagnosing young children and addresses ongoing issues within the field.

Zero to Three explains, "Many Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) providers use DC:0–5 for clinical assessments and treatment planning for infants and young children. However, to receive compensation for their services, they are required to use diagnostic codes for older individuals”.

Since many IECMH providers rely on DC:0-5 for clinical assessment and treatment planning, they must convert these diagnoses into codes used for older individuals to receive payment for their services. Crosswalks have been developed to assist with this conversion.

Although DC:0-5™ is a clinically appropriate tool for diagnosing mental health conditions in infants and young children, other diagnostic systems may still be necessary for billing and documentation. For example, Medicaid providers must submit claims using ICD-10 codes per federal Medicaid guidelines. Additionally, some behavioral health providers may use DSM-5 diagnoses within their health records for clinical documentation. The purpose of the Zero to Three DC: 0-5 Crosswalk to DSM and ICD-10 Crosswalk is to assist providers in mapping DC:0-5 diagnoses to DSM-5 and/or ICD-10 codes.