Death Data

Injury Tables for Selected Year (Excel Files)

1980	1981	1982	1993	1984
1985	1986	1987	1998	1989
1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
2010

You can find additional detailed injury tables at the Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention Program web site.

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International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10)

Beginning with deaths occurring in January 1999, the United States began using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to classify causes of death reported on death certificates. ICD-9 had been used during 1979-1998.

Implementation of ICD-10 has had an important impact on the presentation and interpretation of mortality statistics by cause-of-death. The change to ICD-10 has created a discontinuity in trends that must be accounted for when comparing current mortality data to mortality occurring in years prior to 1999.

To put it another way, current cause-of-death data are not comparable to years prior to 1999, unless adjustments are made for the coding and classification changes. Without adjustment, it is impossible to know whether an observed increase or decrease in deaths due to a particular cause is "real" or merely the result of the changes in classification and coding.

The following documents can be used to under stand differences in the data due to the change form ICD-9 to ICD-10 and provide a method to account for the change.

Excel Tables with Comparability Ratios

Impact of ICD-10 on Washington State Mortality Trends, a one page explanation of the change to ICD-10 (112KB PDF)

Guide to Presenting and Using ICD-10 Mortality Data (143KB PDF)

Comparability of Cause of Death between ICD-9 and ICD-10, this is a NCHS document. (338KB PDF)

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How to Report Cause of Death

Why do death certificates need so much information? (92KB PDF)

Completing a Cause-of-Death Statement: Basic Concepts (454KB PDF)

Pneumonia Without an Underlying Cause-of-Death (10KB PDF)

Reporting Causes of Death for the Elderly (29KB PDF)

Sources of Information for Cause-of-Death Certification  (74KB PDF)
For more information please go to the National Association of Medical Examiners tutorial

ICD-10 Mortality Supplement (1MB PDF)

Death and Fetal Death Registration Handbook - 8/2004 (2MB PDF)

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Links to external resources are provided as a public service and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health.