ICD 10 Readiness

May 2013

Did you know that according to AAPC (American Academy of Procedural Coders), only 40 percent of today’s documentation reviewed will be ready for the transition to ICD-10? This proves to be a continuous challenge in the healthcare world in assuring that emphasis is relayed to providers on the importance of documentation of specificity in order to assign the most appropriate diagnosis codes in ICD-10 once implementation takes place on October 1, 2014.

It has been stated that about 50 percent of all physicians, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners are still yet to even realize how ICD-10 will even effect them, and the other 50 percent are not even aware yet of the changes that come with the implementation of ICD-10!

April 2013

It is important to know that every physician and hospital will be greatly impacted with the transition to ICD-10. The structure of ICD-10 will allow for endless possibilities of greater expansion of code numbers.

It will no longer be simply classification of diseases and injuries, but will also include risk factors that are usually discussed in a primary care setting.

Many providers will likely view this transition as an increase in work with no additional reimbursement. It is expected that the amount of time it will take a  physician to document the required amount of specificity will increase 20%! The specialties that will see the most impact will be orthopedists, obstetricians and cardiologists. It is important for the Providers to remember that not only does the amount of specificity documented affect reimbursement but also leads to the overall quality of care of the patient.

March 2013

ICD-10 will affect diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding for everyone covered by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), not just Medicare and Medicaid. Outpatient procedures will NOT be affected by ICD-10.

Did you know that ICD-9 has a little over 14,000 diagnosis codes, while ICD-10 will have over 69,000? Wow! Procedure codes will jump from 4,000 to 72,000. That is 8x the number of code selections to choose from!

February 2013

My how time flies! As of February 1, 2013, there are 606 days until the implementation of ICD-10! Even though it sounds like light-years away, there is much to do to prepare for this day. As we move forward with this project, you will start seeing dates published in upcoming newsletters for training sessions that will start taking place on several levels. hThere will be a Basic Training Session which will be mandatory training for all employees. This will be a brief education of explaining the WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHY’s of ICD-10 and how it will affect us. There will also be more complex training to the coders group which will entail several modules throughout the year. We will break down training sessionsinto small sections at a time. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has stated that a minimum of 10 hours is needed for non-clinical staff and a minimum of 60 hours for coders. More information to come next month.

January 2013

As many of you have heard, the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is back on track with a new implementation date of October 1, 2014.  With that being said, there will be much to do in order to prepare.  I will be implementing a monthly newsletter to inform every one of any changes, or upcoming meetings and training.  The goal is to make this a fun as well as informative way to make the transition an easier process for all.  Please email me if you have any topic you would like to see discussed in the upcoming newsletters.   I look forward to the challenges ahead with the implementation of ICD-10.  It will be a great pleasure to be working with such a wonderful team.