ICD-10-CM introduces new requirements for coding skull fractures and brain injuries. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Kristi Stanton, RHIT, CCS, CPC, CIRCC, explore how coding for these conditions changes in ICD-10-CM.
Change is consistently a part of HIM and coding. Rules, regulations, and codes change yearly and sometimes quarterly. Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, reveals why the switch to ICD-10 is different from the annual changes coders are used to and how coders and organizations can prepare.
By now, you may have heard that the ICD-10-CM codes are more specific than those used in the ICD-9-CM system, and fracture coding is one of the areas undergoing the most changes. Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CPC-I, CCDS, discusses fracture coding in ICD-10 and some of the expected documentation challenges associated them.
The section of codes that expanded most in ICD-10-CM involves orthopedic injuries, especially fractures. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Kristi Stanton, RHIT, CCS, CPC, CIRCC, highlight some of the most significant changes for fracture coding.
ICD-10-CM/PCS incorporates laterality, acuity, anatomical specificity, and a slew of additional combination and complication codes. Who will submit queries when this information is missing in a medical record? Will coders or CDI specialists take on this role? Perhaps it might be a combination of the two.
Providers gauge the severity of an acute brain injury using the Glasgow Coma Scale, and in ICD-10-CM, coders will be able to code this score. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA, explain how to code the coma scale in ICD-10-CM.
Many coders rely on the advice in the American Hospital Association (AHA)'s Coding Clinic to resolve sticky situations with ICD-9-CM coding. However, the AHA will not be transitioning its current guidance to ICD-10-CM. Instead, in January, it began focusing solely on ICD-10-CM questions to help clear up confusion prior to implementation.
