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.

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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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 ›

A seamless transition. That’s the goal we all seek in the colossal dual conversion of our HIPAA 4010 X12 files to the new 5010 standard, and the ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets. Somehow, with a tight timeline and crunched budgets, we must simultaneously pull off two technically challenging migrations – and do it all with minimal disruption to business operations. The task, at times, feels overwhelming.

As you research your options, however, I’d suggest that one important place to begin is with a candid assessment of your organizational partnerships. The Herculean effort needed to successfully transition these two critical data sets at the same time will require close collaboration with trustworthy and responsive partners, each working within a well-defined area of expertise. Read More ›

The ever-growing complexity of federal regulations and insurance plan rules continues to wreak havoc with the physician revenue cycle. Consider the effect on your practice of expanding global periods, bundling edits, Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) and non-covered procedure lists.

Even the savviest medical billing staff must fine-tune the appeals process to prevent it from becoming a lengthy battle. Knowing how to write an effective appeal letter can greatly enhance your practice’s chance of getting paid for initially-denied or underpaid claims. Read More ›

This year, you have to contend with 151 new ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes, as well as 16 invalid codes. Rather than just list the changes in code order, the following tables are meant to provide them in an easy-to-read summary format. You’ll find the names of the chapters in the ICD-9-CM tabular list below –alphabetically – that contain either new or invalid codes. To see the entire list of changes for the chapters that interest you, click here. Read More ›