CMS recently posted a very good document titled ICD-10-CM/PCS Myths & Facts , which clarified many myths regarding ICD-10 and specified facts upon which you should base your plan for...
By now everyone knows that coders will need more documentation and specificity to assign the correct ICD-10 codes. And everyone knows that increased documentation has to come from the providers—the...
I saw a question posted recently regarding the inclusion or exclusion of Workers Comp, property, casualty, and auto under the CMS mandate to implement ICD-10. My first reaction was why wouldn’t they...
I really want the t-shirt that says, “I only do what the voices in my head tell me” and its companion shirt, “The voices in my head don’t like you.” Sadly too many people I know might believe it...
How often do you default to an unlisted code or a non-specific code in ICD-9 because the physician just didn’t document enough information? For example, how many times do you see documentation...
Even before you implement ICD-10 in 2013, you will need to make sure that the 5010 electronic code sets are in place at your facility. You must implement the 5010 code set by January 1, 2012. As an...
Inpatient coders are used to assigning a present-on-admission (POA) indicator in ICD-9-CM. They will need to continue to assign POA indicators in ICD-10-CM. The POA indicators remain the same, but...
Got an ICD-10 question? Answers are coming soon. ICD-10 implementation is still almost two years away, but the American Hospital Association’s Coding Clinic will add an ICD-10 section starting in the...
One of the advantages to coding in ICD-10-CM is how much information is packed into a single code. You’ll find combination codes throughout the ICD-10-CM Manual. In many cases, you are coding the...
Some things you are accustomed to in ICD-9-CM will remain the same in ICD-10-CM. One rather obscure convention that exists in ICD-9-CM that also carries over to ICD-10-CM is the use of the word “and...
