Last-Minute Tips For Creating An ICD-10 Command Center
When the clock ticks in a new month and the entire healthcare industry is thereby mandated to begin using the new ICD-10 code set, there
When the clock ticks in a new month and the entire healthcare industry is thereby mandated to begin using the new ICD-10 code set, there
Making processes better for staff and patients will affect how they implement EHR and computer assisted coding (CAC) initiatives.
ICD-10 will impact nearly all of the processes in your practice or organization, and using that fact as the starting point for your ICD-10 testing will make the process smoother and more worthwhile for everyone involved.
With less than a year to go before the scheduled implementation of ICD-10, healthcare industry chatter about the new code set is reaching a fever pitch.
As we continue to move toward the new ICD-10 coding and reimbursement system, new challenges are facing healthcare providers beyond high-profile federal mandates.
Healthcare providers will need a denials manager who can track denials and communicate with healthcare payers.
ICD-10-PCS is a major departure from ICD-9-CM procedure coding, and as such many Coding Specialists find ICD-10-PCS much more challenging to learn than ICD-10-CM (which still shares many similarities with ICD-9-CM). In order to ease the transition from ICD-9-CM procedure coding to ICD-10-PCS, over the next ten months, we will provide tips for coding under this system.
While Tuesday’s election was important for many reasons, none of them have a direct impact on the ICD-10 debate.
On July 31, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) formally announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had finalized Oct. 1, 2015 as the new compliance date for healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses to ICD-10.
Plus: CMS has proposed freezing the ICD-9 codeset after next year.
If you were hoping that the Oct. 1, 2013 ICD-10 implementation date wasn’t set in stone, you are out of luck. That’s the word from CMS during a June 15 CMS Open Door Forum entitled “ICD-10 Implementation in a 5010 Environment.”
“There will be no delays on this implementation period, and no grace period,” said Pat Brooks, RHIA, with CMS’s Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group, during the call. “A number of you have contacted us about rumors you’ve heard about postponement of that date or changes to that date, but I can assure you that that is a firm implementation date,” she stressed.
Brooks indicated that the rumor about a potential delay in the implementation date continues to persist throughout the physician community, and recommended that practice managers alert their physicians to the fact that that the rumor is untrue.
The Oct. 1, 2013 date will be in effect for both inpatient and outpatient services. Keep in mind that the ICD-10 implementation will have no impact on CPT and HCPCS coding, Brooks said. You will still continue to bill your CPT and HCPCS procedure codes as before.
You’ll Find Nearly 55,000 Additional Codes
Currently, CMS publishes about 14,000 ICD-9 codes, but there are over 69,000 ICD-10 codes. The additional codes will allow you to provide greater detail in describing diagnoses and procedures, Brooks said.
If you’re wondering which specific codes ICD-10 includes for your specialty, you can check out the entire 2010 ICD-10 codeset, which CMS has posted on its Web site. “Later this year, we’ll be posting the 2011 update,” Brooks said during the call.
@ For more details on CMS’ upcoming plans, subscribe to Part B Insider (Editor: Torrey Kim, CPC).
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