55,000 New Diagnosis Codes with ICD-10
ICD-9 contained 14,000 codes. ICD-10 contains 69,000 codes! Which code do I use?
The introduction of ICD-10 has been in the works for many years and there is a lot of information available. In fact, the rest of the world has been using ICD-10 for years, and the United States is just now catching up.
Unlike the CPT procedure coding data set, which is controlled by the American Medical Association (AMA) and subject to copyright laws and licensing fees, the ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS code sets and the ICD-10-CM official guidelines are available free of charge. (click here for official guidelines)
It’s a complicated code set, and using it is not intuitive. It requires an understanding of anatomy and physiology, along with a clear understanding of the complex official guidelines.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recommends training should begin no more than six months before the compliance deadline. Training varies for different organizations, but it is projected to take 16 hours for coders. Training for medical practitioners is all about their documentation. Providers who currently have comprehensive documentation habits will have an easier time of it than provides with poor documentation tendencies.
Habanero, Inc. has assisted large and small providers in preparing for ICD-10. We offer a variety of overall and specialty-specific ICD-10 training to help you and your staff navigate this complex, yet vital corner of the healthcare arena.
