ICD-10: Doctors, do you have the time?
Rhonda Buckholz, vice president of ICD-10 training and education for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), addressed the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO) last week during the Annual Meeting and Expo in San Francisco. Ms. Buckholz explained that the forthcoming change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will have a substantial impact on the entire practice.
Clearly coding staffs will not be the only ones affected by the CMS ICD-10 changeover on October 1, 2013. Without leveraging technology and preparation, doctors will face a considerably disrupted workflow. With the code set expansion to approximately 55,000 diagnosis codes, the time a physician takes to select and document the appropriate diagnosis code for a patient will greatly increase. As a result, fewer patients will be seen and reimbursement rates will decline.
As expected, the transition and use of ICD-10 coding will require training and patience from the staff, practice-wide. Planning a transition that not only minimizes your financial risk but will be embraced by physicians will be one of the keys to success. To read the full article, click here.
