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Prepare for miscellaneous costs that may arise during the transition to ICD-10
CMS recently posted a fact sheet regarding ICD-10 that summarizes structural differences between the new system and its predecessor, ICD-9. It also explains how organizations and facilities should plan for the change and provides a list of helpful Web sites.
Despite the fact that ICD-10 implementation is still nearly three years away, CMS is ramping up its educational resources now to equip providers with the necessary tools to begin the transition. The next 36 months will pass by quickly, says Sue Bowman, RHIA, CCS, director of coding policy and compliance at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago.
"The reason [CMS] picked 2013 [as its implementation date] instead of the original 2011 is that the commenters said they needed that long to make the conversion," Bowman says. "If you need that long, you need to start today. It’s less expensive to spread it out and do it in a strategic fashion."
CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wanted to help providers take the first step toward implementation. These agencies, along with AHIMA and the American Hospital Association, created General Equivalence Mappings (GEM), a bidirectional tool to aid providers in the switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10. GEM demonstrates how a code in one set (i.e., the source system) translates to the other (i.e., the target system), with conversions based on code book instructions, index entries, and Coding Clinic advice.
Editor’s note: To learn more about the GEMs or to purchase a copy of this article for $10, visit the HCPro Web site. Subscribers to Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies have access to this article in the July issue of the newsletter.
CMS has issued a fact sheet titled General Equivalence Mappings: ICD-9-CM to and from ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS in which it addresses the top 10 questions and answers. Topics include cases in which there is a one-to-one map as well as those in which there is no translation between the two systems, as well as a variety of others. Hospitals must implement ICD-10 no later than October 1, 2013.
If you haven’t already viewed the handouts from the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting held March 11–12, take a few moments to do so now. CMS posted various PowerPoint slides that address ICD-10 implementation, MS-DRG conversion, and ICD-10-PCS.
Visit the CMS Web site to view the information.
On January 27, the National Center for Health Statistics published updated ICD-10 guidelines to replace its July 2007 guidelines. Although HIM directors can anticipate updates to this draft prior to implementation in 2013, they can use the guidelines to begin to train coders on the new system. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for more information.
Q: Where can I find more information about CMS’ recent report on ICD-10?
A: CMS released its most recent report on December 29, 2008. The report summarizes CMS’ one-year project with AHIMA to identify and assess the various effects of ICD-10, particularly the anticipated effect of the new coding system on business processes, systems, and operations under CMS’ direct responsibility. The AHIMA project was the first of several phases leading up to a more defined ICD-10 implementation plan within the coming year, according to a December 29 CMS memorandum that announced the report.
To read the report, click here.
Q: I wasn’t able to listen to the most recent CMS conference calls about ICD-10. Do you know where I can find more information about these calls?
A: CMS has posted on its Web site transcripts of the ICD-10-CM/PCS conference calls it sponsored for hospital staff members and other Part A and Part B providers in October and November, 2008. For more information, click here.
Editor’s note: To sign up for HCPro’s January 27 audio conference “ICD-10: Develop a Blueprint for Implementation,” click here.
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