ICD-10 is the new coding system that is being developed as a replacement for ICD-9. It’s a hot topic for home care providers; with the implementation date currently set for less than three years away. Take advantage of the lead time with this indispensible you always wanted to know.
These are some of the key differences between the two coding systems, ICD-9 and ICD-10:
More specificity: Level of detail and specifics are greatly expanded in ICD-10-CM. But while ICD-10 can provide greater specificity, it won’t require more detailed documentation. Other initiatives such as pay-for-performance and quality measures will require more detailed documentation. ICD-10 will simply provide the means for reporting it.
Newer terminology: ICD-10-CM updates medical terminology and classification of disease to be consistent with medical practice.
More details: Clinicians and coders can provide more detail with a single code than they can in ICD-9. Added detail makes ICD-10-CM more applicable to non-hospital health care encounters.
More characters: Codes in ICD-10-CM are all alphanumeric and can be up to seven characters in length. The seventh character, an extension, is used in some chapters to capture episodes of care and other additional information.
More combination codes: ICD-10 combination codes will provide details that require more than one code in ICD-9.
Use this medical coding information while there’s still more groundwork to lay. It’s never too early to start planning and preparation. However, for healthcare providers, it would be wise not to get your staff trained too far in advance.
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