Do You Hear What I Hear?
Written by Holly Louie, RN, CHBME, PCS | Wednesday, 26 November 2014
As I reflect on the many comments from physicians, coders, educators, auditors, and various organizations, a message of frustration keeps creeping into the conversation. Physicians aren’t cooperating. Physicians don’t want to hear about ICD-10. I can’t get my doctors interested. As I reflect on the reasons that might exist for this perception of frustration, I thought actually investigating the message might shed light on the topic. Although the findings are not statistically valid, I believe they provide perspectives that can prove valuable as we move toward the finish line on ICD-10 implementation.
Why? Such a basic question that has so many paths to trouble! We all know the whys: ICD-9 is obsolete, codes don’t reflect current practice, it does not provide the granularity needed, and the list goes on. So much information that does not answer the most basic question!
For many physicians, they honestly believe they are doing just fine with the obsolete code set; it is a known system that has worked for all of them for their entire careers.
They rely upon a small subset of codes in their practices, so some of the most robust ICD-10 differences may not seem relevant to them. They can document what they need to know and communicate to another medical professional. They read and interpret information from other professionals with no difficulty. They can talk to the patient, and the patient is not complaining. They have zero concerns about the quality of care they are delivering. They don’t look at or see ICD-9 codes in the medical records they use and they don’t send ICD-9 codes to their peers. To have any credibility, we must answer the why question in a way that makes sense to them. “Because we said so” is not the answer. Neither is the usual mantra that they can’t relate to in any meaningful way.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
11/26/14
Insurance giants unite to make ICD-10 a little easier #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Insurance giants unite to make ICD-10 a little easier | Healthcare Dive
By Marisa Torrieri | November 25, 2014
Dive Brief:
A newly-formed consortium featuring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Humana and several other payers are working together on strategies to help smaller healthcare providers get ready for ICD-10, which is less than a year away.
The consortium's short-term plan is to meet with healthcare provider specialty groups (such as cardiology or pediatrics) to help them focus on learning how to translate the ICD-9 codes they submit most often into ICD-10 codes.
"The consortium approach is in response to concerns raised in testimony on Capitol Hill at recent NCVHS hearings that payers may not be able to test with a large number of providers," said Sid Hebert, director of the ICD-10 implementation team at Humana. "This approach allows for interested providers to evaluate their coding proficiency with real-world examples, keyed to specialties, through a dynamic interchange with cooperating payers."
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
By Marisa Torrieri | November 25, 2014
Dive Brief:
A newly-formed consortium featuring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Humana and several other payers are working together on strategies to help smaller healthcare providers get ready for ICD-10, which is less than a year away.
The consortium's short-term plan is to meet with healthcare provider specialty groups (such as cardiology or pediatrics) to help them focus on learning how to translate the ICD-9 codes they submit most often into ICD-10 codes.
"The consortium approach is in response to concerns raised in testimony on Capitol Hill at recent NCVHS hearings that payers may not be able to test with a large number of providers," said Sid Hebert, director of the ICD-10 implementation team at Humana. "This approach allows for interested providers to evaluate their coding proficiency with real-world examples, keyed to specialties, through a dynamic interchange with cooperating payers."
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Five Times the Codes in ICD-10 #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Five Times the Codes in ICD-10
Written by Wilbur Lo, MD, CDIP, CCA
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by a wide range of symptoms and levels of impairment or disability that are typically recognized during the first two years of life. ASD is a complex clinical diagnosis and includes deficits in social communication and social interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The symptoms will cause significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
This article will focus on the importance of properly documenting ASD, with respect to the ICD-10 code set and to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Hierarchical Condition Categories (HHS-HCCs) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an increased prevalence of ASD. In 2000, ASD affected one in 150 children, compared to affecting one in 68 children in 2010. The estimated costs are between $17,000 and $21,000 more each year to care for a child with ASD, compared to a child without ASD. In 2011, the estimated total societal costs were over $9 billion to care for children with ASD—if these costs are extrapolated to 2014 or 2015, they would be astronomical.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Written by Wilbur Lo, MD, CDIP, CCA
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by a wide range of symptoms and levels of impairment or disability that are typically recognized during the first two years of life. ASD is a complex clinical diagnosis and includes deficits in social communication and social interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The symptoms will cause significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
This article will focus on the importance of properly documenting ASD, with respect to the ICD-10 code set and to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Hierarchical Condition Categories (HHS-HCCs) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an increased prevalence of ASD. In 2000, ASD affected one in 150 children, compared to affecting one in 68 children in 2010. The estimated costs are between $17,000 and $21,000 more each year to care for a child with ASD, compared to a child without ASD. In 2011, the estimated total societal costs were over $9 billion to care for children with ASD—if these costs are extrapolated to 2014 or 2015, they would be astronomical.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
11/25/14
ICD-10 Coalition Urges Congress to Avoid Additi... #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
ICD-10 Coalition Urges Congress to Avoid Additi...
ICD-10 Coalition Urges Congress to Avoid Additional Delays | EHRintelligence.com
Further ICD-10 delays would risk additional disruption and unnecessary costs for the healthcare industry, the ICD-10 Coalition told Congress recently.
The Coalition for ICD-10 has sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging lawmakers not to implement any more delays for the new code set. After the surprise vote in April pushed the codes back until October 1, 2015, shock and disappointment were pervasive among those who had already mostly prepared themselves for the big switch. Citing the ongoing costs of retooling ICD-10 transition projects and the desperate need for an expanded diagnosis code set that will foster population health management and more accurate billing, the Coalition stresses the importance of ensuring ICD-10 goes ahead as currently planned.
“ICD-10 implementation delays have been disruptive and costly for all of the coalition members, as well as to health care delivery innovation, payment reform, public health, and health care spending,” states the letter, addressed to leaders of both the House and the Senate. “As you know, significant investments were made by members of our coalition to prepare for the October 2014 implementation prior to enactment of the most recent delay. Many of us had to quickly reconfigure systems and processes that were prepared to use ICD-10 back to ICD-9. Newly trained coders who graduated from ICD-10 focused programs were unprepared to find jobs using the older code set.”
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
ICD-10 Coalition Urges Congress to Avoid Additional Delays | EHRintelligence.com
Further ICD-10 delays would risk additional disruption and unnecessary costs for the healthcare industry, the ICD-10 Coalition told Congress recently.
The Coalition for ICD-10 has sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging lawmakers not to implement any more delays for the new code set. After the surprise vote in April pushed the codes back until October 1, 2015, shock and disappointment were pervasive among those who had already mostly prepared themselves for the big switch. Citing the ongoing costs of retooling ICD-10 transition projects and the desperate need for an expanded diagnosis code set that will foster population health management and more accurate billing, the Coalition stresses the importance of ensuring ICD-10 goes ahead as currently planned.
“ICD-10 implementation delays have been disruptive and costly for all of the coalition members, as well as to health care delivery innovation, payment reform, public health, and health care spending,” states the letter, addressed to leaders of both the House and the Senate. “As you know, significant investments were made by members of our coalition to prepare for the October 2014 implementation prior to enactment of the most recent delay. Many of us had to quickly reconfigure systems and processes that were prepared to use ICD-10 back to ICD-9. Newly trained coders who graduated from ICD-10 focused programs were unprepared to find jobs using the older code set.”
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Physician Groups Push for Two-Year ICD-10 Delay on Capitol Hill #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Physician Groups Push for Two-Year ICD-10 Delay on Capitol Hill | Journal of AHIMA
Nov 24, 2014
posted by Mary Butler
A select group of physicians and physician groups have begun advocating for an additional two-year delay to the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS. In response, AHIMA and the Coalition for ICD-10 have launched its own advocacy efforts to keep the ICD-10 implementation date at October 1, 2015.
Last week a letter was circulated to members of Congress—addressed to Speaker of the House Representative John Boehner (R-OH)—requesting the implementation date be pushed back to 2017.
Additionally, the Texas branch of the American Medical Association (TMA) is advocating for the same two-year delay through its Legislative Action Center.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Nov 24, 2014
posted by Mary Butler
A select group of physicians and physician groups have begun advocating for an additional two-year delay to the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS. In response, AHIMA and the Coalition for ICD-10 have launched its own advocacy efforts to keep the ICD-10 implementation date at October 1, 2015.
Last week a letter was circulated to members of Congress—addressed to Speaker of the House Representative John Boehner (R-OH)—requesting the implementation date be pushed back to 2017.
Additionally, the Texas branch of the American Medical Association (TMA) is advocating for the same two-year delay through its Legislative Action Center.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
11/24/14
Practicing ICD-10: Eight Tips Every Organization Should Consider #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Practicing ICD-10: Eight Tips Every Organization Should Consider
Written by Cathy Brownfield, MSHI, RHIA, CCS and Nena Scott, MSEd, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, AHIMA ICD-10-CM/PCS Certified Trainer | Friday, 21 November 2014 00:00
Most of us have heard the saying “practice makes perfect.” Although 100-percent perfection is usually unattainable, the idea of applying one’s knowledge regularly to improve performance is something toward which all health information management (HIM) professionals strive. The same holds true for learning how to code using ICD-10.
By now, most coders have undergone some type of formal ICD-10 training. This training is critical. However, perhaps even more important is the ability to apply what coders learn in the classroom or online to real, hands-on coding of records. The more practice coders have with ICD-10, the better off they will be, particularly in light of the delay.
If coders don’t use what they have learned, through practical application on a regular basis, they risk losing that information. The challenge is providing coders with ICD-10 practice while also supporting day-to-day operations. This article suggests eight ways that organizations can find time for coders to maintain ICD-10 skills while continuing to protect their education investments and ensure coders’ success going forward with ICD-10.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Written by Cathy Brownfield, MSHI, RHIA, CCS and Nena Scott, MSEd, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, AHIMA ICD-10-CM/PCS Certified Trainer | Friday, 21 November 2014 00:00
Most of us have heard the saying “practice makes perfect.” Although 100-percent perfection is usually unattainable, the idea of applying one’s knowledge regularly to improve performance is something toward which all health information management (HIM) professionals strive. The same holds true for learning how to code using ICD-10.
By now, most coders have undergone some type of formal ICD-10 training. This training is critical. However, perhaps even more important is the ability to apply what coders learn in the classroom or online to real, hands-on coding of records. The more practice coders have with ICD-10, the better off they will be, particularly in light of the delay.
If coders don’t use what they have learned, through practical application on a regular basis, they risk losing that information. The challenge is providing coders with ICD-10 practice while also supporting day-to-day operations. This article suggests eight ways that organizations can find time for coders to maintain ICD-10 skills while continuing to protect their education investments and ensure coders’ success going forward with ICD-10.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Newly Formed Consortium Working to Ease Transition to ICD-10 #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Newly Formed Consortium Working to Ease Transition to ICD-10
Written by Mark Spivey | Friday, 21 November 2014 15:00
The countdown is on.
With less than a year to go before the scheduled implementation of ICD-10, healthcare industry chatter about the new code set is reaching a fever pitch. Because ICD-10 is about overall system readiness, the discussion focuses mostly on how to get ready, what barriers to overall readiness exist, and what the industry can do to remove those barriers. Problems will inevitably arise if only part of the industry is ready and other parts aren’t.
With that in mind, certain groups are already hard at work to identify ways to make the transition easier for providers that are finding it difficult to get started. One such group is a newly formed consortium featuring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Humana, and several other payors that are working together on strategies to help smaller providers get ready.
The consortium’s short-term plan is simple: meet with healthcare provider specialty groups (such as cardiology, dermatology, etc.) to help them focus on ICD-9 codes that each specialty group submits most often, then learn the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-approved ICD-10 translations for those codes. By starting with a specialty, it is easy to narrow down a list of the most commonly submitted diagnosis codes.
The transition can become much more manageable when specialized healthcare providers can concentrate closely on the diagnosis codes they need to use in order to conduct business. The remainder of the code translation efforts can occur at a later date.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Written by Mark Spivey | Friday, 21 November 2014 15:00
The countdown is on.
With less than a year to go before the scheduled implementation of ICD-10, healthcare industry chatter about the new code set is reaching a fever pitch. Because ICD-10 is about overall system readiness, the discussion focuses mostly on how to get ready, what barriers to overall readiness exist, and what the industry can do to remove those barriers. Problems will inevitably arise if only part of the industry is ready and other parts aren’t.
With that in mind, certain groups are already hard at work to identify ways to make the transition easier for providers that are finding it difficult to get started. One such group is a newly formed consortium featuring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Humana, and several other payors that are working together on strategies to help smaller providers get ready.
The consortium’s short-term plan is simple: meet with healthcare provider specialty groups (such as cardiology, dermatology, etc.) to help them focus on ICD-9 codes that each specialty group submits most often, then learn the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-approved ICD-10 translations for those codes. By starting with a specialty, it is easy to narrow down a list of the most commonly submitted diagnosis codes.
The transition can become much more manageable when specialized healthcare providers can concentrate closely on the diagnosis codes they need to use in order to conduct business. The remainder of the code translation efforts can occur at a later date.
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
There’s A Flaw In Medicare Funding And Reimbursement #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Dr. Hummer: ‘There’s A Flaw In Medicare Funding And Reimbursement’ « CBS Philly
November 21, 2014 11:23 AM
By Chris Stigall
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A push among some to repeal Obamacare is not the only repealing that is being urged in the healthcare industry.
Charles “Chip” Hummer III, M.D. told WPHT morning host Chris Stigall that the Medicare system is flawed and needs to be strengthened.
“There’s a flaw in how Medicare is funded and how reimbursement occurs. And it’s been patched over the last 15 years on a reoccurring basis. The problem is those patches have cost more than a fix would cost then and more than fix would cost now. A fix would cost $140 billion the patches have cost $170 Billion.”
Hummer urged Chris and his listeners to contact their respective congressmen and compel them to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate(SGR), which is the funding mechanism for Medicare reimbursement to physicians, and ICD-10 which the World Health Organization(WHO) defines as “the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases “ and he referred to as a ”burdensome costly documentation scheme.”
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
November 21, 2014 11:23 AM
By Chris Stigall
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A push among some to repeal Obamacare is not the only repealing that is being urged in the healthcare industry.
Charles “Chip” Hummer III, M.D. told WPHT morning host Chris Stigall that the Medicare system is flawed and needs to be strengthened.
“There’s a flaw in how Medicare is funded and how reimbursement occurs. And it’s been patched over the last 15 years on a reoccurring basis. The problem is those patches have cost more than a fix would cost then and more than fix would cost now. A fix would cost $140 billion the patches have cost $170 Billion.”
Hummer urged Chris and his listeners to contact their respective congressmen and compel them to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate(SGR), which is the funding mechanism for Medicare reimbursement to physicians, and ICD-10 which the World Health Organization(WHO) defines as “the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases “ and he referred to as a ”burdensome costly documentation scheme.”
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Icd Test Lead Healthcare Health Care Salary in United States #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Icd Test Lead Healthcare Health Care Salary in United States | Indeed.com
Chart
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#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
Chart
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
The Top Ten Thanksgiving Mishaps via ICD-10 #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
The Top Ten Thanksgiving Mishaps via ICD-10 - MedAptus Blog
If you read our blog and follow our news stream, you know that ICD-10 is a topic that is near and dear to hearts and those of our many customers and end-users. While there remains much debate around the increased specificity of the code set and potential impact beyond reimbursement, no one can deny that in ICD-10, regardless of malady, there’s a code for that. As we head into Thanksgiving week, a holiday wrought with personal dangers that could lead to an ER visit, it seemed like a fun idea to code what we think are…
The Top Ten Thanksgiving Mishaps via ICD-10
10. For some people, a frozen turkey simply doesn’t cut it. Some turkeys aren’t afraid to fight back: W61.43XA, pecked by a turkey
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
If you read our blog and follow our news stream, you know that ICD-10 is a topic that is near and dear to hearts and those of our many customers and end-users. While there remains much debate around the increased specificity of the code set and potential impact beyond reimbursement, no one can deny that in ICD-10, regardless of malady, there’s a code for that. As we head into Thanksgiving week, a holiday wrought with personal dangers that could lead to an ER visit, it seemed like a fun idea to code what we think are…
The Top Ten Thanksgiving Mishaps via ICD-10
10. For some people, a frozen turkey simply doesn’t cut it. Some turkeys aren’t afraid to fight back: W61.43XA, pecked by a turkey
Click the link above for access to the article
#ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT
Get Remediator to assist in your readiness for the ICD-10 switchover www.icdremediator.com
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