From the October 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The ICD-10 codes allow for more specificity. The list is expandable, comprehensive, and non-overlapping. This expansion will jump from approximately 18,000 ICD-9 codes to more than 71,000 ICD-10 codes and the number will increase with medical advances and new technology. There may be a one-to-one cross-walk from ICD-9 to ICD-10 or there may be a one-to-hundreds of possible diagnoses and some specialties will be impacted more than others. ECC coding tools help to navigate the often complex and convoluted ICD-10 diagnosis choices.
Industry experts, regulatory agencies, and professional organizations generally agree on recommended steps in preparation for the ICD-10 transition. Stakeholders should begin the transition process now if they haven’t already. An impact assessment should include clinicians, administrative staff, IT resources, billing transaction processing, reimbursements, contract negotiations, and payers, as several departments will be impacted by the transition including information systems, finance and revenue cycle, medical records, and electronic or paper patient health records. Prepare additional IT resources for technical support for both during and after the initial cutover. Many physicians struggle to adequately document with ICD-9 coding and will require robust training, coding support, and surveillance to ensure there is very specific documentation supporting the diagnoses selection. Proper diagnosis specificity will potentially decrease biller time, shorten the revenue cycle, decrease reimbursement risk, and support the compliance burden. Finally, have billing personnel available to answer coding questions. With the proper technology and billing support, the transition will be less difficult and frustrations will be de¬creased for all.
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The mantra of “plan now” is a key factor for a successful transition. Develop a plan, take advantage of consulting services, adopt electronic tools, prepare staff and train clinicians in advance. When the cutover approaches you can easily cross the finish line with confidence and ease. Everyone is a winner!
About the author: Joy Burnette RN, holds multiple HIMSS certifications, is anassociate of the American College of Cardiology,and is a member of nursing’s Sigma Theta Tau honor society. Currently working in implementations at Ingenious Med, an Atlanta-based charge and data capture software provider, her 35 years of expertise includes clinical, international data coordinating center directorship, outcomes research, and frequent publication.
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