My ICD-10-CM Plan? My EMR is Taking Care of That!
Many organizations and physicians are implementing electronic medical records (EMR) with the belief that the EMR will take care of their transition to ICD-10. Although the implementation or use of an EMR can help with the documentation challenges providers will be confronted with in the new ICD-10 world, the use of an EMR alone is not a magic bullet.nnWith the expansion of diagnosis codes comes a greater level of detail therefore a greater level of detail will be required in the encounter documentation in order to assign an appropriate diagnosis code. For physicians that document directly in an EMR either manually or through VR, consider how much time this process take in their current workflow. Although the ICD-10-CM codes still contain entries for unspecified codes, Medicare has indicated they are considering not covering services submitted with these codes. This makes the documentation and assignment of the appropriate ICD-10-CM code much more important.nnChallenges for EHRs moving into the ICD-10 world exist with the workflow for assigning and ranking the diagnoses for the patient’s encounter. In the current EMR environment, many providers are completing data elements and selecting diagnosis codes from drop-down lists. Is the physician prepared for the dramatic increase in diagnosis codes now displayed on the drop-down list? How will the physician’s workflow change when more time is needed to assign the appropriate diagnosis code? Will the EMR allow the physician to enter a descriptive diagnosis rather than a specific diagnosis code? Can the EMR support a workflow that sends patient encounters to coders for review and assignment of the most specific diagnosis code based on the physician’s documentation? Many EMRs plan to use the GEMs to crosswalk the existing diagnosis codes to the new ICD-10-CM codes. Although this plan sounds good in theory, the level of detail provided in the ICD-10 codes does not provide a one to one match. Providers who have EMRs that have mapped ICD-9 codes to ICD-10 codes should ask to review the mapping.nnWith the implementation of ICD-10-CM, an EMR has the potential to create more points of pain for the physician than currently exist. With careful planning, training, and education an EMR can help transition physicians into the ICD-10-CM world but it should not be considered the magic bullet.nnClick here to read the original article by Melody W. Mulaik at HIMSS.orgnnSource: www.himss.org; Melody W. Mulaik; February 10. 2012.
W21.04xA – Struck by golf ball, initial encounternnW22.042A – Striking against wall of swimming poolnnV93.22XA – Heat exposure on board fishing boatnn nnIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2014 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to 
The US would be much healthier if activity code #1 was reported more frequently than code #2:nnY93.02 – Activity, runningnY93.C1 – Activity, computer keyboardingnn nnIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2014 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to 
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that more than half of all doctors and other eligible providers have received Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments for adopting or meaningfully using electronic health records (EHRs).nnHHS has met and exceeded its goal for 50 percent of doctor offices and 80 percent of eligible hospitals to have EHRs by the end of 2013.nnSince the Obama administration started encouraging providers to adopt electronic health records, usage has increased dramatically. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey in 2012, the percent of physicians using an advanced EHR system was just 17 percent in 2008. Today, more than 50 percent of eligible professionals (mostly physicians) have demonstrated meaningful use and received an incentive payment. For hospitals, just nine percent had adopted EHRs in 2008, but today, more than 80 percent have demonstrated meaningful use of EHRs.nn“We have reached a tipping point in adoption of electronic health records,” said Secretary Sebelius. “More than half of eligible professionals and 80 percent of eligible hospitals have adopted these systems, which are critical to modernizing our health care system. Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”nnThe Obama administration has encouraged the adoption of health IT starting with the passage of the Recovery Act in 2009 because it is an integral element of health care quality and efficiency improvements. Doctors, hospitals, and other eligible providers that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health records receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Part of the Recovery Act, these programs began in 2011 and are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC).nnAdoption of EHRs is also critical to the broader health care improvement efforts that have started as a result of the Affordable Care Act. These efforts – improving care coordination, reducing duplicative tests and procedures, and rewarding hospitals for keeping patients healthier – all made possible by widespread use of EHRs. Health IT systems give doctors, hospitals, and other providers the ability to better coordinate care and reduce errors and readmissions that can cost more money and leave patients less healthy. In turn, efforts to improve care coordination and efficiency create further incentive for providers to adopt health IT.nnAs of the end of April 2013:n
Earlier this week, our very own 
Eyebrows burned off by flare up of barbecue grill: X03.0XXA – Exposure to flames in controlled fire, not in building or structure, initial encounternnBellyflop into swimming pool: W16.512A – Jumping or diving into swimming pool striking water surface causing other injury, initial encounternnFood poisoning from potato salad left too long in the sun: T62.8X1A – Toxic effect of other specified noxious substances eaten as food, accidental, initial encounternn nnIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2014 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to