One of the things that is not changing between ICD-9 and ICD-10—which often takes hospital coders by surprise—is that coders of professional services cannot code diagnoses documented with the terms “...
When coding with ICD-10, there may be terms that neither your coders nor your physicians are used to using. Now is the time to pass on this knowledge to your medical staff so they can understand what...
The switch to ICD-10-CM will change more than just your code choices. It will also change how physician offices practice medicine. All of your offices' policies will have to be revised to fit ICD-10-...
So, by now you know ICD-10-CM codes contain more specificity than many ICD-9-CM codes. After all, we’re going from 13,000 codes to 68,000 codes. So where will that increased specificity show up? One...
Although I'm sure these great contributors to the field of medicine will live on in many other publications, ICD-10-PCS coding manuals will no longer include eponyms. So you not only need to be...
OK, so maybe your ICD-10-PCS (Draft) Manual doesn't rank up there with your most memorable reads, however, you can't deny that it's a page-turner! Sometimes, it may seem like you can't find the...
Mark your calendars because on August 13, you'll have the opportunity to register for the September 15-16 ICD-9-CM Coordination & Maintenance Committee Meeting in Washington, DC. As required by...
October 1, 2013 is not the only deadline to be concerned with. If you submit electronic claims, you should complete internal testing with Version 5010 by January 1, 2011 so that you are prepared for...
The network of relationships between the ICD-9-CM and the ICD-10-CM code sets is named the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs) . It’s like trying to translate from one language to another. Sometimes...
Many of the changes to the 2010 ICD-9-CM codes were additions to the external causes of injury and poisoning E codes (E800–E999). Activity codes were added to give context as to what the person was...
If you've been wondering whether the American Hospital Association (AHA) plans to convert guidance it has published in Coding Clinic over the years to include ICD-10 codes, the answer is no. "I am...
The Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) recently submitted a comment to CMS explaining its position against the proposed code freeze. ACDIS' comment stated the...
I was reading a recent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) letter to CMS commenting on the 2011 inpatient prospective payment system proposed (IPPS) rule, specifically their recommendations...
On June 23, CMS issued MLN Matters Special Edition article #SE1019 , which is intended to provide healthcare entities more information about the implementation of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. In...
As we continue our journey toward ICD-10 implementation, certified coders will need to show their proficiency in the new coding system. For holders of an American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC...
Can you believe it has been about 18 months since the Department of Health and Human Services announced in the Federal Register that ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS would be implemented on October 1, 2013?...
At the recent American Health Information Management Association ICD-10 Summit in Washington, DC, several attendees were heard discussing the 3-day rule (sometimes called the 72-hour rule),...
In ICD-9-CM, you can find the burn codes in the range of codes 940-949. If you were to try to find a code due to a corrosive burn, the Alphabetic index would direct you back to the main term "burn."...
I have noticed an influx of new information on various organizations' websites related to ICD-10. If you're not a regular visitor to these websites, now is a good time to poke around and do some...
This month’s training tool in HCPro's Medical Records Briefing newsletter was a series of quiz questions about surgical root operations to prepare for ICD-10-PCS. Have some fun with your coding peers...
Aside from emphasizing that October 1, 2013, will be the date that everyone will begin to use ICD-10, Pat Brooks, senior technical advisor at CMS, explained the following during the March 23 ICD-10...
ICD-10-PCS is drastically different from the ICD-9-CM Volume 3 procedure codes. Just looking at the physical appearance, you’ll see that the procedure codes in ICD-9-CM have a maximum of four digits...
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...
