As an industry, the transition to HIPAA 5010 has been a learning opportunity – especially showing the benefits of planning and questioning a vendor’s capabilities early on. These lessons can be taken and applied to the next big transition – ICD-10, which will be the required coding set starting on October 1, 2013. Many people in the industry believe that there is plenty of time before the transition, and that they can start the transition process at a later time. However, now is the time for practices to start preparing for the coding change. So when I was recently given the opportunity to speak with a writer from For the Record about how the transition to ICD-10 would impact the industry and how practices should prepare, I was happy to share my thoughts.

At the start of this conversation, we focused on how this transition would impact everyone in the healthcare industry. It was the coders, though, that quickly became the focal point of our discussion. Specifically, we talked about the types of questions coders should be asking when preparing an ICD-10 transition plan. These questions include:

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Thank you to everyone who joined us on December 6 for our latest webinar, 5010 and ICD-10 – What You Must Know Now. During the one-hour event, industry expert, Ken Bradley, Vice President of Strategic Planning at Navicure, discussed where the industry is and where your practice should be with regards to 5010 and ICD-10; what to do if you have not begun preparing for 5010; how to fix the biggest problems practices are having with the 5010 requirements; and what steps you can take for ICD-10 revenue management success.

To learn more about how you can prepare for these two transitions, click here  to download the webinar recording.

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The process of preparing for and converting to ICD-10 has many moving parts. As practices, health plans, and other vendors work toward the October 1, 2013 deadline, I have been hearing lots of questions about how to successfully manage the conversion. Today, I will answer a few of the more commonly asked questions pertaining to the conversion.

At this point, what stage should our payers be in regarding ICD-10 implementation? Should they be ahead of us?

Since payers and vendors will lay the technology groundwork for what practices must do to successfully transition to ICD-10, they should be well into their ICD-10 work plan and ahead of where practices are today. Most large health plans are in the midst of readying themselves for the new code set and may be starting small tests. It is a good idea to reach out to your payers to understand their progress to date, as well as how you can work with them to make the ICD-10 transition as smooth as possible.

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Thank you to everyone who joined us on September 22 for our latest webinar, 5010 and ICD-10: Ensure Minimal Impact for Your Practice. During the one-hour event, industry expert Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CGSC, COBGC, CPEDC, CENTC, the American Academy of Professional Coders’ Vice President of ICD-10 Education and Training, discussed how careful planning can ensure organizations have minimal financial and operational disruptions when 5010 and ICD-10 are implemented and what steps your practice can be taking now to prepare both business and clinical staff members for the pending changes.

To learn more about how your practice can improve its ability to track quality measurements and prepare your staff for the 5010 and ICD-10 changes, click here to download the webinar recording.

This program meets AAPC guidelines for 1.0 Core A or 1.0 CPCO specialty CEUs. On Demand product requires successful completion of a Post-Test for continuing education units.

Are you prepared for the 5010 and ICD-10 transitions? If not, your business operations and clinical efforts could come to a standstill. However, careful planning can ensure that these types of disruptions do not occur. In fact, these transitions can actually be an opportunity for your organization to improve both types of operations. In this complimentary webinar, learn ways to minimize the financial impact of the 5010 and ICD-10 transitions and how to analyze the changes to clinical care that most practices will experience.

Join us on Thursday, September 22 at 1:00 pm EDT, for a free webinar: 5010 and ICD-10: Ensure Minimal Impact for Your Practice. Register now.

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Thank you to everyone who joined us on June 16 for our latest webinar, 5010 and ICD-10: A Starter’s Guide to a Successful Transition. During this one-hour event, industry expert, Ken Bradley, Vice President of Strategic Planning at Navicure, discussed the steps every practice should be taking to prepare for 5010 and ICD-10; the internal business operations that will be impacted; and what key questions you should be asking each of your HIT vendors right now to prepare.

To learn more about 5010 and ICD-10 and how to prepare for the transitions, click here to download the recorded webinar.

* This program meets AAPC guidelines for 1.0 Core A or 1.0 CPCO specialty CEUs. On Demand product requires successful completion of a Post-Test for continuing education units.

Thank you to everyone who attended our March 24 webinar, ICD-10 and 5010 – Understanding the Challenge at Hand. In this one hour event, industry expert, Kim Reid, CPC, approved PMCC instructor for the American Academy of Professional Coders and Northeast Regional Director for AAPC Physician Services, highlighted the distinctions between 5010 and ICD-10; potential challenges practices would face during both transitions; and key steps practices should be taking right now to prepare.

Click here to download this free webinar to learn more about the ICD-10 and 5010 changes and how they will impact your practice.

Earn 1.0 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) by viewing this webinar.

We are happy to announce the launch of a new website – ICD-10 Hub – which is part of a new partnership between Navicure and AAPC. The purpose of the site is to provide all medical practices with helpful information and in-depth resources to assist with the 5010 and ICD-10 transitions. ICD-10 Hub will compliment and bolster the practice management information you already receive on this blog.

Devoted to helping every practice successfully move to 5010 and ICD-10, ICD-10 Hub allows you to download webinars, read blogs and catch up on the latest news the industry has to offer. Some of the content currently available includes:

• 5010 Timeline – This one-page overview details what steps you and your technology vendors should be taking, plus when to successfully transition to 5010.
• ICD-9 to ICD-10 Mapping – This reference sheet lays out how ICD-9 codes translate to ICD-10 codes.
• 5010 Payer Announcement Updates – This “living” document relays the steps each individual payer has taken and is planning to take in the near future to ensure their preparedness for 5010. This information will be updated frequently with the latest information you need to know.
• Recorded Webinars – Multiple webinars, which each focus on a different aspect of the transitions, are available for free download from the site.

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By now everyone in the healthcare industry has heard about the Version 5010 transition that will take place on Jan. 1, 2012. However, I am sure some people may still wonder exactly what this transition is—and how healthcare practices will benefit from the transition.

To understand how 5010 will help your practice, just imagine traveling to a country where everyone speaks a different dialect of the same language. In this environment, you are trying to conduct very important business transactions, where crucial details and nuances might be misinterpreted.

That is exactly the predicament the healthcare industry has faced for years. Now, however, Version 5010 of the electronic transaction standards promises to become a universal dictionary that will allow everyone to speak the same language, in the same dialect— essentially enabling apples-to-apples “conversations” among all healthcare entities. And that, in turn, will help every practice reap the benefits of improved claims filing, payment posting, eligibility verification, and other vital revenue cycle management (RCM) functions.

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You’ve probably heard it before, but it is worth reiterating: Start preparing to transition to ICD-10 now. Most experts believe, with good reason, that the 2013 deadline will not be delayed. Those who are not prepared to correctly submit ICD-10 codes on the implementation date simply will not get paid.

The magnitude of the change is no small matter, either. The roughly 14,000 now-familiar ICD-9-CM codes will be replaced by about 69,000 ICD-10-CM codes; the current 4,000 or so ICD-9-PCS codes will swell to about 72,000 ICD-10-PCS codes. In all settings, physicians will need to provide much more explicit documentation. Read More ›