Earlier this week, we posted the following ICD-10 pop quiz question submitted by Asad Ali Rizvi of Quadax Inc: Because ICD-10-CM is alphanumeric, what should you keep in mind about the code structure...
In a recent ICD-10 Watch post , we asked blog subscribers to see if they could stump their peers with their own ICD-10 quiz question. See if you can answer this question submitted by Asad Ali Rizvi...
Many ICD-10 authorities agree that there are a number of myths and misconceptions floating around about the transition to this new coding system. So why not get information straight from the horse's...
Still trying to understand how to use CMS' General Equivalancy Mappings (GEMs)? The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) issued a lengthy practice brief titled, "Putting the ICD...
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...
CMS recently posted updates to both the 2010 ICD-10-CM Guidelines for Coding and Reporting and the ICD-10-PCS mappings , "ICD-10-PCS to ICD-9-CM" and "ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-PCS." Regarding the ICD-10-...
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...
CMS will be hosting its fourth national provider call on February 11 regarding the implementation of HIPAA Version 5010. The transition to this new billing transaction is a necessary prelude to the...
Many of the coding rules between ICD-9 and ICD-10 remain the same. When a primary malignancy has been excised, but the patient continues to receive either chemo or radiation therapy, we are to code...
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 512.0 (Spontaneous tension...
A recent JustCoding.com survey of HIM/coding professionals posed the following question: "How would you describe the HIM Director's role in ICD-10 implementation?" This is the breakdown of the 379...
The following question was submitted to ICD-10 Watch, and so I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the subject. QUESTION: Our billing department often submits claims a week or more after the...
CMS recently posted on its Web site audio and call transcripts for a November provider call focused on the ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS MS-DRG Conversion Project. Speakers discussed the following during the...
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you did not find any coal in your stockings! Maybe Santa left you some tools to begin planning for the implementation of ICD-10. 2010 has arrived,...
CMS recently posted ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS files for 2010 on its Web site . Check out the "What's New" documents for both ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS . Interested in the breakdown of revisions? For...
One of the major reasons cited for moving from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM is that the new coding system is more specific. So I thought I would look at some of the coding challenges we have today with ICD-...
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...
Many experts in the healthcare community have compared the transition to ICD-10 to Y2K. So how do you estimate the costs associated with such an enormous undertaking? There are the obvious costs...
In September 2003, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) issued a report titled, " ICD-10 Field Testing Project ," which summarized findings after 169 participants...
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 084.4 (Other malaria) crosswalks to what ICD-10-CM...
General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs) were the creation of work completed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CMS, the American Health Information Management Association, the American...
During a November 17 virtual meeting hosted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), co-presenter Laurine Johnson, MS, RHIA, CPC-H, director of HIM services at Ingenix, gave...
Over the last six months, I have noticed that the FAQ sections for different associations and organizations have increased in size and detail. Are you interested in learning the answers to the...
On November 12, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is hosting a virtual meeting titled, " ICD-10 Implementation for Hospitals ." According to AHIMA Web site, the program...
During this three-day training, we learned as much as possible about this new classification system. I received a letter in the mail right before leaving for the American Health Information...
In a recent post , I talked about my experience attending an American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Academy for ICD-10 trainer session. While I am excited about certain aspects of...
I recently completed the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Academy for ICD-10 trainer session in Grapevine, TX. It was a whirlwind experience. The days were long, but it was...
You'll be happy to add this code translator to your collection of ICD-10 tools. The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) released on October 20 a free ICD-10-CM online code conversion tool...
On October 2, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) posted three new practice briefs related to ICD-10 on its Web site . Click on "All current practice briefs in...
This is just one of hundreds examples of changes coming with ICD-10. Every family practice regardless of size should identify a person(s) to be the designated ICD-10 expert. To develop appropriate...
Although the U.S. healthcare community is bracing themselves for this massive switch to ICD-10 in 2013, many other countries have already been through it. For example, providers in Canada...
Looking back a year later, I now feel relatively confident in my background knowledge of ICD-10. And I did not spend any money. Read more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog post about my cost-...
I was poking around the CMS Web site today, in the ICD-10 section of course, and I noticed a brand new page devoted to the ICD-10 MS-DRG Conversion Project . While I've heard different CMS...
The thought of sitting down and creating an ICD-10 transition timeline from scratch can be daunting. If you want some inspiration, check out these two timelines that are posted on the North Carolina...
On September 16, 3M Health Information Systems announced that it had released the 3M™ ICD-10 Code Translation Tool, a new software application that helps convert ICD-9 based applications to ICD-10...
As each day passes, we get closer to the implementation date of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. I have been scouring the ICD-10 manual to identify things that will change (some things for the better, some...
I have always thought that ICD-9 procedure codes were very non-specific and that it is no wonder that inpatient coders don’t like CPT coding. However after looking at what is going to happen with ICD...
Excludes notes in ICD-10 will have a slightly different look. Currently in ICD-9, there are simply excludes notes listed below codes in italic font. In ICD-10, there are two types of exclude notes:...
In my last blog post , I explained how I tackled the challenge of educating myself about ICD-10, realizing the significant cost that would be associated with registering for every ICD-10 Webinar,...
CMS will host its third national Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) education call on HIPAA Version 5010 on September 9, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Providers will need to transition to this new transaction...
Are you an educator who needs to learn ICD-10 as soon as possible so that you can be prepared to teach your students, coding staff members, or other clients and entities that you serve? Are you...
Even though it's still early to start studying and learning ICD-10 codes, at this point you should at least take a look at codes you commonly assign to get a sense of the changes and to see whether...
What is your organization doing to plan for the transition to ICD-10? Have you formed an ICD-10 implementation committee? Have coding staff members attended any recent educational sessions, such as...
It is widely known that ICD-10 is going to be much more specific than ICD-9. While that is true, there are some ICD-9 codes that will not be as specific in ICD-10. Here are two examples: ICD-9 codes...
In a recent JustCoding.com mini-poll, we asked subscribers the following question: Has your organization established a timeline for the transition to ICD-10? This is the breakdown of the 151...
As I heaved my ICD-9 Manual , projector, and laptop into the overhead bin on my flight home from Atlanta this past Friday after teaching an inpatient coding boot camp, a thought occurred to me: What...
How much ICD-10 training are you ready for today? The American Health Information Management Association states: It would be impractical and a waste of resources and time to start training coders now...
In a previous blog , I discussed how CMS was considering freezing updates to the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 coding systems prior to the October 1, 2013 implementation. Many in the industry have said that...
Although the health care community is primarily focusing on the implementation to ICD-10 in 2013, a critical step before the new coding system takes effect is the switch to transaction standard...
CMS recently posted on its Web site a presentation titled "Introduction to ICD-10-CM/PCS: For Physician Specialty Group Representatives." In addition to CMS representative Pat Brooks, a number of...
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...
CMS has created a tool that can help ease the process for mapping out equivalent codes between ICD-9 and ICD-10. On May 19, CMS hosted an ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation and General Equivalence Mappings...
ICD-10 will bring a lot of welcome changes and correct many of the issues and shortcomings with ICD-9. One particular source of confusion with ICD-9 relates to the excludes notes. In ICD-9, the...
You might be far enough along in your ICD-10 implementation timeline to attend some informational sessions that go beyond the basics. "You're going to see more companies advertising functional...
One of the many things that will be affected in order to accommodate the ICD-10 codes is the format of electronic claims. CMS recently announced that it receives more than 99% of the Medicare Part A...
On May 19, CMS hosted a conference call during which it addressed the use of General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). A transcript of the call is now available on the CMS Web site . CMS representative...
Since the Department of Health and Human Services' January announcement on the final rule for the implementation of ICD-10, many questions have popped up. Some in the industry feel that if they do...
Since we have talked and read globally about ICD-10, I thought we should turn the pages a little deeper and look at some commonly used codes and see what they will look like October 1, 2013, when the...
One of the most poorly documented and miscoded diagnosis is when a physician documents the term "urosepsis." Does the physician mean that the patient has a systemic infection originating from a...
With all the complexities related to the implementation of ICD-10, it's no wonder that so many in the healthcare industry have a number of questions related to the various aspects of this new coding...
Discussions are starting regarding ICD-10, and there are many rumblings in the coding community. Just like anything else, something new and different can bring on feelings of being overwhelmed. Yes,...
You will need to make significant changes to your superbill due to the fact that ICD-10-CM contains a considerably larger number of codes than ICD-9-CM. At the American Academy of Professional Coders...
At the American Academy of Professional Coders national conference in Las Vegas, the ICD-10 sessions were buzzing as the HIM/coding community sounded out about the impact ICD-10 will have on...
Currenty, the American Health Information Management Association's (AHIMA) Council on Certification (COC) has made the following recommendations regarding how credentialed members (and certified...
At the American Academy of Professional Coders conference in Las Vegas, a wave of ICD-10 info (and emotion) washed over the conference attendees. Reed Pew, the AAPC CEO and president, made one...
Ready for another little ICD-10 nugget? Coders will have to learn a number of different coding conventions for ICD-10. For example, for injury code assignment, coders will need to specify whether a...
Can you code ICD-10 from the documentation your physicians currently provide? Look at several records for each of your physicians and ask yourself whether you could assign codes in ICD-10 based on...
It may sound like such a small detail, but when your information technology (IT) team is looking to revamp and redesign your system, it's vital that you specifically request that the new system uses...
We know it will take a huge time commitment. We know it will require an inordinate amount of organization and coordination across departments. We know the training for coders and physicians and...
Have you ever had a To-Do list that’s a mile long, and you just don’t know where to start? This implementation timeline is going to feel less like a mile and more like a Marathon. I thought it might...
As if you don’t have enough to worry about between staying on top of CMS guidelines and different reporting rules for various payers, now you face the challenge of learning and assigning ICD-10 codes...
Coders’ clinical knowledge is going to be more critical than ever before. Your ability to glean information from physician documentation and translate these notes into meaningful codes in ICD-10 is...
Have you ever had to plan for a difficult conversation with a friend or loved one? You feel stressed out about having to bring up a painful topic, and you think of every way to broach the subject...
We’ve read the words of caution and heard the urgency of the message: Don’t put off planning for ICD-10. And while there is no one-size-fits-all plan for implementation, there is one tip that...
Over the last couple months, I have tried to get a sense of how far along people are in the ICD-10 planning process. The verdict? While it's definitely on the radar, it seems as though most have not...
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...
