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A coding tip that will make your ears perk up

TIPThis is just one of hundreds examples of changes coming with ICD-10. Every family practice regardless of size should identify a person(s) to be the designated ICD-10 expert. To develop appropriate education, every practice should take the time to recognize areas upon which ICD-10 will have a significant impact. As we get closer to the October 1, 2013, ICD-10 implementation date, take your current encounter form and convert it to ICD-10. The ICD-10 codes published today may not be exactly the same in 2013, but this conversion could be a good tool to show senior leaders in your practice how specific this new coding system can be.

For example, ear wax removal currently has one code. But this will expand to four codes in ICD-10:

Diagnosis: Impacted Cerumen

ICD-9

  • 380.4 Impacted cerumen

ICD-10

  • H61.20 Impacted cerumen, unspecified ear
  • H61.21 Impacted cerumen, right ear
  • H61.22 Impacted cerumen, left ear
  • H61.23 Impacted cerumen, bilateral
October 14, 2009 | Joe Rivet | Comments 2
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Check out AHIMA ICD-10 resources

pushpin2To prepare for the transition to ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, it may be helpful to have a list of resources that are currently available either online or in print through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA):

As one of the four cooperating parties for ICD-10-CM/PCS, the AHIMA is a valid resource for education and information regarding ICD-10-CM. Although many of us consider it quite early to get formal training, I think reading about any related issues pertaining to the ongoing preparation will only enable us to transition easily and seamlessly to this exciting new system on October 1, 2013.

June 30, 2009 | Shannon McCall | Comments 0
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Revamp and redesign your IT system

successfailure1At the American Academy of Professional Coders national conference in Las Vegas, the ICD-10 sessions were buzzing as the HIM/coding community sounded out about the impact ICD-10 will have on information technology (IT) systems.

One session attendee described the IT implications as “Y2K on steroids.” Another person at a separate session said, “This is going to make Y2K look like a blip on the radar.”

Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CEMC, gave a presentation titled, “ICD-10-CM: The Time To Begin Preparation is NOW,” and in that session, Grider provided the following tips:

  • Vendors should plan for at least 12 months of testing prior to the October 1, 2013 implementation date.
  • Your IT team will need to ensure that ICD-9 and ICD-10 can work in tandem for the months prior to and the months after ICD-10 takes effect.
  • Make sure that the 5010 electronic code sets are in place at your facility. You must implement the 5010 code set by January 1, 2012.
  • A typical provider group of three or more physicians might spend $2,000 – $8,000 for the IT conversion or system upgrade.
  • Dual systems (ICD-9 and ICD-10) create space constraints for data storage
May 05, 2009 | Doreen V. Bentley | Comments 0
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Assess documentation from an ICD-10 point of view

file-cabinet-15Can you code ICD-10 from the documentation your physicians currently provide? Look at several records for each of your physicians and ask yourself whether you could assign codes in ICD-10 based on the information the physicians provided. There is going to be a learning curve, so it’s important to take these small steps early on to assess what kind of training is necessary to prepare for ICD-10 implementation.

Identify documentation that lacks necessary details, and try to get physicians to understand the need for more specificity and expansion within their documentation. This will help ease the transition during the implementation phase.

April 13, 2009 | Doreen V. Bentley | Comments 0
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