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?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Here are 10 reasons to enroll in a
medical coding course and prepare for your new career:
1) Employment is expected to grow faster than average in the next decade.
2) Individuals with formal medical coding training will be in high demand.
3) As a medical coder, you work in a comfortable office environment.
4) You play an important role in the health care industry without having to perform clinical tasks.
5) Most of your work is administrative in nature and conducted on a computer.
6) Medical coding allows you to be detail oriented, organized and efficient.
7) Medical coding is a stable career opportunity that enables you to work a full or variable schedule.
8) You can work in a number of exciting health care facilities – hospitals, doctor's offices, nursing care facilities, home health care services, and more.
9) You can take your career to the next level and become a certified medical coder.
10) You can start a challenging and rewarding career that is needed nationwide.Labels: Medical Coder, medical coding career, Medical Coding Coder
Read Full Article>> 10 Reasons to Start a Medical Coding Career
