All Entries Tagged With: "myths"

One ICD-10 myth debunked: Will coding books become a thing of the past?

CMS recently posted a very good document titled ICD-10-CM/PCS Myths & Facts , which clarified many myths regarding ICD-10 and specified facts upon which you should base your plan for implementation. For example, take the following myth and the corresponding fact:

Myth: There will be no hard copy ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code books. When ICD-10-CM/PCS is implemented, all coding will need to be performed electronically.

Fact: ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code books are already available and are a manageable size (one publisher’s book is two inches thick). The use of ICD-10-CM/PCS is not predicated on the use of electronic hardware and software.

I personally was told by a representative of a prominent encoder vendor that coders would have to go “all electronic” and that having code books would not be practical due to the sheer size of the volumes (I am picturing something like a volume of Oxford dictionaries). I was devastated because I never liked coding using an encoder, and I wondered how I would adapt to actually coding from an encoder alone, something I had been told all my career cannot be done (You must have the code books to verify your code choice and not rely on an encoder alone, and you must initially learn a code set using the books before going to the encoder).

I found out that this rumor of having to code using only electronic means versus code books was not true when earlier this year I was searching the American Health Information Management Association library, and I noted that a vendor was offering manuals for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. I was shocked. I still wondered about the size of the coding books though, and I was quite amused when one coder asked whether we would have to start lifting weights to get in shape just to be able to haul these huge ICD-10 coding books.

Judging by the size of the 2009 files, which I had downloaded to my desktop for handy reference for daily coding, I figured that the books would probably be a little bigger, but not that much bigger. However, I was not completely certain of this until I read this document today. So read the CMS document, and put your mind at ease.

What other ICD-10 myths have you heard? Share your experiences so we can help put these myths and misconceptions to rest.

Alleviate fears with ICD-10 fact sheet

Discussions are starting regarding ICD-10, and there are many rumblings in the coding community. Just like anything else, something new and different can bring on feelings of being overwhelmed. Yes, ICD-10 does have a different look and feel, but it is not as challenging as many may believe. Many people have expressed to me their fears about this new coding system, conveying that they have heard how difficult it will be to use ICD-10. I am posting an ICD-10 fact sheet CMS published that will hopefully alleviate some fears and end some of the myths generated in the coding community.