Despite the rapidly approaching conversion date, recent surveys have shown many providers still have a lot of ground to cover before they're prepared to take on ICD-10.
A study released last month by the brand strategy and marketing firm Aloft Group found nearly half of
Although transitioning to ICD-10 can present a challenge to small healthcare providers with limited resources and time, ICD-10 offers great benefits to the small physician practice, the provider and the patient, according to CMS. A certified coding specialist and AHIMA-approved ICD-10 trainer hosted a March 13 CMS webinar titled "ICD-10 Overview: Basics and Transition Tips" and offered the following five tips for physicians practices to make the transition to ICD-10 smoother.
1. Providers should only focus on the codes they're most likely to use. Although the thousands of additional codes included in ICD-10 compared with ICD-9 may seem overwhelming, providers must keep in mind that all of the codes don't apply to every specialty, according to CMS. Providers should only focus on the codes they are most likely to use
The dramatic increase in codes results not from added conditions but from a new level of specificity because of changes like the introduction of laterality. In fact, the explosion in codes is concentrated mostly in just a few specialty areas, according to CMS. For instance, fractures go from 747 potential codes to 17,009, pregnancy-related conditions will transition from 1,104 to 2,155 and poisoning and toxic effect codes will multiply from 244 to 4,662.
2. Make use of available training resources. Training should be specifically targeted to the conditions physicians handle on a daily basis. Providers can take advantage of the various training resources available from the American Health Information Management Association and other organizations in the industry.
CMS offers numerous ICD-10 training resources through its website, where healthcare organizations can access fact sheets, general equivalency mappings, implementation checklists and other tools. Last month, the agency launched "Road to 10," a free online resource created with the help of physicians to aid small medical practices in jumpstarting their conversion to ICD-10.
3. Become familiar with the new coding concepts. Providers will want to reference the new coding conventions and guidelines to become familiar with the changes, according to CMS. New concepts introduced with ICD-10 include codes incorporating laterality, whether the case involves an initial or subsequent encounter and under-dosing, which identifies situations where a patient has taken less of a medication than prescribed.
4. Understand and prepare for all points of "code contact." Providers should know all of their "points of contact" for ICD-10. Points of code contact include scheduling; lab or imaging orders; referrals or prior authorizations; coding, billing or claims submission; remittance, denials or appeals; and medical records.
5. Make sure practice management/electronic health record systems can handle the conversion. Healthcare providers also need to ask themselves a series of questions to ensure their practice management systems and EHRs are prepared for the switch to ICD-10. Providers need to consider whether these systems can currently store and use ICD-10 codes, if an upgrade is required before the transition and if the system has any tools that assist with code selection. Regarding the upgrades, it's also important to know if they require any training and if they're covered under the vendor maintenance agreement.
Additionally, systems must be capable of supporting both ICD-9 and ICD-10 based on dates of service or dates of discharge, according to CMS. For dates of service prior to Oct. 1, 2014, providers must submit claims with the appropriate ICD-9 code. For dates of service on or after Oct. 1, providers must submit with the appropriate ICD-10 code. Therefore, practice management systems must be able to accommodate both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes until all claims and other transactions for services before Oct. 1 have been processed and completed.
To learn more about ICD-10, please visit: http://www.cms.gov/icd10.
More Articles on ICD-10:
CMS: End-to-End ICD-10 Testing to Take Place in July
Study: ICD-10 Conversion Could Disrupt Providers' Finances, Data
AMA: ICD-10 7 Step Training Checklist