As a medical coder, you will assign specific numeric codes to medical services, procedures and diagnoses. Allied’s Medical Coding teaches you how to apply the right code in the right place and streamline the medical billing process. From knowledge of ICD-9-CM and CPT codes to reimbursement issues, you will be ready to play an important part in a medical office.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
With the ICD-10-CM implementation date on the horizon, there may be questions about this new coding system. Why is it needed? What are the changes? How will it affect my
medical coding career? While you’re very familiar with ICD-9-CM, you may wonder what the ICD-10-CM system is all about. Here’s some helpful information:
What is ICD-9-CM? ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, Clinical Modifications) is a set of codes used by physicians, hospitals, and health care professionals to indicate the diagnosis for all patient visits. ICD-9-CM contains approximately 13,000 codes; these codes are mandatory for all health insurance claims in the U.S.
What is ICD-10-CM? ICD-10-CM is the long awaited diagnosis code revision to ICD-9-CM. This coding system contains approximately 68,000 codes. ICD-10 has been in use throughout the world for both morbidity and mortality statistics since 1994. It has been required for reporting mortality statistics in the United States since 1999.
Why is the new ICD-10-CM coding system needed?
• Limited Space – It is running out of numbers to assign for codes and in some cases, new code proposals have not been adopted because of limited space
• Not Specific Enough – Its diagnosis codes do not describe the severity or complexity of the various disease conditions. This has resulted in increasing requests for additional documentation in order to support claims.
• No Exchange of Information – It hinders the exchange of meaningful health care data with health care organizations and professionals around the world.
What are the benefits of adopting ICD-10-CM?
• Expanded injury codes
• Combination of diagnosis/symptom codes
• Addition of sixth and seventh characters
• Laterality (left and right specific where applicable)
• V and E codes incorporated into the main classification
• Addition of ambulatory and managed care encounter information
• Expanded postoperative complication information
How does this affect my medical coding career? Because October 1, 2013 is the drop-dead date for compliance, you will need to be familiar with the new system in advance. This means that you will need to enroll in an ICD-10-CM medical coding course to learn about the new medical coding system – including a comprehensive overview of the changes and impacts on your medical coding career. While there’s still a lot of time to prepare, you need to look ahead toward the upcoming changes. Labels: icd-10, ICD-9, medical coding career, Medical Coding Coder, medical coding system
Read Full Article>> Why the Need for the ICD-10-CM Medical Coding System?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Many people get confused about the different types of medical codes and how and when to use them. Here is a quick reference to determine the difference between ICD-9-CM and CPT medical codes:
ICD-9-CM
The International Classification of Diseases, known as ICD, is the most widely used statistical classification system in the world. It is published by the World Health Organization.
The International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification, or ICD-9-CM, includes the code used to describe the condition or disease being treated, also known as the diagnosis. Using this system, a specific code is assigned to the diagnosis of the condition or disease being treated.
These codes classify mortality data from death certificates and morbidity (illnesses and injury) data from patient records, physician offices, and most National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveys.
CPT
The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set is maintained by the American Medical Association through the CPT Editorial Panel.
CPT is the code used to describe medical services and procedures performed by doctors for a particular diagnosis. The CPT code set accurately describes medical, surgical, and diagnostic services performed by physicians. Its purpose is to provide a uniform method of communicating between doctors, insurance companies and patients.
These codes are the most widely-accepted medical codes used to report medical procedures and services under public and private health insurance programs. It is commonly used in Medicare and Medicaid.
Bottom line: Both CPT and ICD-9 codes are needed when assigning codes and billing health insurance companies.Labels: CPT Codes, ICD-9, Medical Coding, Medical Coding Course
Read Full Article>> How to Distinguish Between ICD-9-CM & CPT Medical Codes
