All Entries Tagged With: "ICD-9-CM"
Watch for missing drug injection and infusion NCCI edits
As many of you know, CMS maintains two sets of NCCI edits: one for hospitals and one for physicians. The hospital version of the edits is one quarter behind the physician version. This can cause significant compliance issues for hospitals.
CPT and HCPCS codes are generally updated January 1 of each year. However, because the NCCI edits for hospitals are one quarter behind, the edits that apply to hospitals during the first quarter of a year are the edits for the fourth quarter of the prior year. This would mean that any new codes, adopted January 1, would not be included in the edits for the first quarter. This is especially problematic this year because of the new renumbered drug infusion and injection codes, which are subject to many bundling edits. [more]
Strategies for your ICD-10 implementation plan
Last week, HHS announced October 1, 2013, as the final implementation date for ICD-10-CM/PCS. ICD-10 was adopted for all diagnosis coding and for inpatient procedure coding. Also adopted were the standards changing the electronic claim format to accommodate the expanded ICD-10 codes.
For providers who have not begun preparing for ICD-10, this is a wake up call to start preparations. Not only will coders need to be retrained in the new coding system, but many other systems will have to be updated to accommodate this change. Providers will need to work with virtually all of their software vendors to implement this change. One of the most difficult parts of the transition, as we have experienced with the NPI, is not our own preparations, but awaiting CMS guidance on changes to their systems and policies. [more]
