Myths about ICD 10 have led care providers to believe it is difficult to implement the same. A close look at the misbeliefs will explain that they are either partly true or nearly as difficult to handle as is widely believed.
- ICD 10 is Quite Different from ICD 9
The two standards are indeed quite different and you need to learn the ICD 10 application properly, but your knowledge of ICD 9 will help you determine how and which aspects of ICD 10 will apply to your practice. A cross-walk between the ICD 9 and ICD 10 codes will give you a head-start in this direction. Once you have determined the codes your practice will need, you can learn various structural aspects of it and be able to apply them accurately.
- Heavy Documentation
There is a belief among care providers that ICD 10 requires excessive documentation. All ICD 10 codes do not require documentary support barring some specific codes. There are many non-specific ICD 10 codes available and they can be used without documentation in the absence of higher specificity of clinical information.
However, we can assist you to develop a sound documentation process which will help retain as well as use medical details more accurately. It will also help you use the ICD 10 specific codes correctly and improve your reimbursement rates.
- Too Many Codes
Yes, ICD 9 has 14,000 codes, whereas ICD 10 has 68,000. But, not all codes will apply to your practice and besides that you have to determine which ones are likely to crosswalk between both the coding
- Transition to ICD 10 is Difficult
For a smooth transition, you should work out a plan that includes the processes that are likely to be affected by ICD 10 and the people involved in the same because both will form a major part of the transition. By implementing the plan you can evade risks, save on costing and the downtime. We have helped care providers identify the diagnostic codes which they would require and the supporting documentation requirement too. We have also contributed in restructuring their EDR and implement a new EDR platform for managing their electronic data in compliance with ICD 10 needs.
- General Equivalent Mappings will Automate Code Conversion
Many care providers believe that they can use GEMs to automate interchanging from ICD 9 to ICD 10 codes, however; GEM-automated code conversion is not a foolproof solution because of the levels of details that ICD 10 codes involve.
We have reviewed the translated code for several care providers and ensured that they properly implemented the specified codes and improved the possibility of successful reimbursements.
- ICD 10 CM PCS was developed many years ago and has not been updated
Every year since the development of ICD 10 CM PCS, the codes have been updated for accommodating the changing medical and technical needs. So, if you have changed the dynamics of your healthcare practice too, keep up your pace with the changing medical and non-medical needs.
- ICD 10 CM PCS will Replace Current Procedural Terminology
CPT will continue to be in use. ICD 10 CM PCS will only be used to code for facility-based services involved in hospital inpatient procedures.
- Physicians will have to Assign and Rank Diagnoses for the Patient’s Encounters
Even now, EMR environment requires providers to select diagnostic codes and data elements from dropdown lists. The only difference that ICD 10 will bring is that there would be more number of codes to select from.
Our assistance in staff training has immensely helped physicians to understand which ICD codes to choose based on accurate understanding of its structure and applicability.
- Possibility of High Rejection Rates
ICD 10 codes are far more specific than ICD 9; proper application of codes requires understanding of their structures and applicability. ICD 10 also requires much more detailed documentation than ICD 9. All you need is professional billing and coding services that will help you to be compliant with ICD 10 and achieve high levels of coding accuracy and overcome these challenges.
MedicalBillersandCoders’ Revenue Management Consulting services can assist you to assess your revenue cycle process and see if it is geared for ICD 10 implementation. Get assistance for ICD 10 compliance too. We have helped several practices to overcome ICD 10 code-related challenges. We have helped care providers understand the following:
- Know the best ways to implement ICD 10 codes
- Familiarize with the new ICD 10 terms
- Know ICD-10 codes that are applicable to different kinds of procedures
- How to use diagnostic codes and the supporting documents
MedicalBillerandCoders.com, the largest consortium of billers and coders in the US has also been helping several small to medium size care providers with its Outsourcing services. They take care of all the ICD 10 coding related challenges, which leave them with additional time to take care of their primary services of healthcare. The service modules are flexible, which allows you to choose parts of it as per your ICD 10 needs and thus avoid paying for the entire services.
