Well, it finally happened. You’ve all heard the buzz. Today, ICD-10 codes became a reality and one many in healthcare were dreading. I’m happy to say the LabRetriever team wasn’t part of that group.
Change is difficult and can often cause trepidation, especially when it comes to billing and reimbursement. Fortunately, our customers who were using the ICD-9 codes were converted quickly, without interruption and are now moving forward. Of course the transition may be difficult in the near future, as providers familiarize themselves with the new structure, but as with any process, will eventually become second-nature.
Let’s face it; medicine has changed and an antiquated list just doesn’t suffice any longer.
“The new International Classification of Diseases, Version 10 (ICD-10) has 68,000 codes, compared to 13,000 in the ICD-9 code set that has been used for decades. These codes not only cover more diseases than their predecessor, but are far more specific and require more detailed documentation by physicians. The government and other supporters of the new code set predict that ICD-10 will contribute to quality improvement, facilitate international communications (other countries use ICD-10), and provide grist for research down the line…” ~ Ken Terry, CIO.com
We want our customers and those who read this blog to take a deep breath and know the transition isn’t expected to take place flawlessly overnight.
“On Monday, the AMA and CMS jointly announced that CMS ‘is releasing additional guidance that will allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD-10 code set.’ In addition, the agency will appoint an ICD-10 ombudsman “to triage and answer questions about the submission of claims.” ~ Joyce Frieden, News Editor, MedPage Today
Of course, our sleep lab management software is ready to handle the changes and our team is poised to work with current and new customers on customizing their codes. After all, creating a business-specific solution is what we do best. We don’t claim to be flexible…we pride ourselves on it.
Please take a few minutes to review the information below and contact us if you have any questions or would like more information about LabRetriever.
http://www.cio.com/article/2985337/healthcare/is-icd-10-healthcares-y2k-moment.html
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PracticeManagement/PracticeManagement/53809
https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/staticpages/icd-10-code-lookup.aspx