Icd-10 Know How Homecare Coders Should Be Well-versed With

By Author: Jaun Paul
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October 1, 2013 is the deadline for the implementation of ICD-10. Although the date looks like a long way off, you will stand in good stead if you start preparing for it right away.


Make the most of these advantages: The benefit of ICD-10 is that it will increase our inter-operability with other countries already on the newer diagnosis and procedure coding system. It can also capture newer procedures and diagnoses than the 30-year-old ICD-9 coding system . What's more ICD-10 provides greater specificity in a single code. So much so that now you'll be able to code bilateral ulcer, bilateral amputations, and bilateral fractures.


With ICD-10, you will witness an increasing number of codes; but you should not fear this because you are not going to use all of them. ICD-10 will have 68,000 codes as compared to 13,000 of ICD-9 Volumes 1 and 2. The greater number ...
... of codes is owing to the structure of the codes.


Tip: In ICD-9, you need at least two codes to describe most diabetic manifestations. But with ICD-10's 200 diabetes codes, just one code reports both the diabetes and the manifestation.


The ICD-10 system is alpha-numeric, making room for a greater number of codes than ICD-9 could ever contain. Similar to ICD-9, the first three characters of an ICD-10 code indicate the code category. The fourth character in ICD-10 points to etiology.


The fifth character indicates the anatomical site while the sixth character lists the severity. A seventh, optional, character provides a place of service code.

Resources: Provides free weekly newswire of Home health care and offers learning opportunity about ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding system that keeps connected to the latest developments in health-oriented services.