Budgeting for ICD-10 requires much more than just planning for the actual implementation. What happens to your business after the go-live date (October 1, 2013 in case you haven't heard!) once you've...
The message was loud and clear. On April 12, during one of the kick-off sessions at the 2010 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10 Summit in Washington, DC, speakers drove...
Coders who are accustomed to the current ICD-9 Manual know to interpret the Includes and Excludes notes in the different diagnosis categories when they’re looking for the appropriate code. When the...
One major difference between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM is the addition of a seventh character. This seventh digit is used in certain ICD-10 codes to provide additional information about the encounter (e...
As we continue to plan for the transition to ICD-10, have you wondered how you will convert your current ICD-9 data into ICD-10? I was recently thinking about how this whole process might work and...
Hypertension has always been a pet peeve of mine as a coder in ICD-9. We have three different fourth digits to identify the following “types” of hypertension: Malignant (0 ) Benign (1) Unspecified (9...
It’s time for another pop quiz everyone! Let’s use the ICD-10 tools we have at our disposal to try to crosswalk an ICD-9-CM code we use today to ICD-10-CM. ICD-9-CM code 322.2 (Chronic meningitis)...
Currently in ICD-9-CM, there are only a few ways to capture present, past, or exposure to tobacco smoke. In ICD-9-CM, we currently have the following codes: 305.1 (Tobacco use disorder) V15.82 (...
After having to cancel in February, CMS rescheduled its fourth national provider call for March 24 regarding the implementation of HIPAA Version 5010. The transition to this new billing transaction...
While teaching the inpatient and outpatient boot camps, I often receive questions regarding ICD-10. One of them that sticks out in my mind is, “What about E codes? Are they still going to look the...
Don't miss CMS' upcoming national provider conference call on March 23 from 1-2:30 PM EST. This National Provider Conference Call will provide an overview of ICD-10-CM/PCS requirements and a basic...
For several years, our ICD-9 manuals have indicated that the guidelines for Chapter 5 concerning Mental Disorders have been reserved for future expansion. Well, they went from no guidelines in the...
A few blogs ago, I mentioned that I was creating an ICD-10 presentation for a client. During that process, I learned a lot about the huge project that is in front of all of us. I was tired just...
JustCoding.com is looking to share your story! What is your organization doing to plan for ICD-10? What steps have you already taken, and what is included in your action plan over the next six months...
Do you have a burning ICD-10 question that you would like to have answered? Whether it's a coding question, an inquiry about how to manage your HIM/coding staff, or a question about how to navigate...
I was recently researching ICD-10 for an upcoming client presentation. As I was gathering information, I realized that this is the time of the year that I would have been entering into the budget...
Late Wednesday night, CMS announced that due to inclement weather, it was canceling the national provider conference call on HIPAA 5010, New Error Handling Transactions, which was scheduled to take...
Having a complete crosswalk for every ICD-9 code to the new, improved, more specific ICD-10 code is kind of like that desert mirage on the horizon where the inviting little oasis with water and palm...
Some of you are probably familiar with the Medicaid Integrity Contractors (MICs), specifically the audit MICs, which are conducting Medicaid post-payment audits similar to the Recovery Audit...
I just successfully passed the final exam, so I am now officially an American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10 certified trainer! Leave it to me to procrastinate until almost...
