Medical Coders Get Tips For Transition To New System

Communication was the theme at the Code It Right conference last week as medical coders prepare for a massive transition to a new medical coding system known as ICD-10.

“I can’t emphasize enough how critical communication is amongst your team,” said Kimberly Vegter, speaking to 33 conference participants about what they can do to make the transition smoother.

Vegter is an educator for the coding division at MediRevv, the revenue cycle management company that hosted the conference at no cost to the participants. An additional 43 medical professionals participated in a web-based education presentation on how coding drives the revenue cycle.

Health care providers use International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes to explain services and justify claims to insurers. By Oct. 1, the health care industry will have to transition from ICD-09 code sets to ICD-10, which will dramatically increase the number of codes available and require medical providers to be more specific in identifying medical claims.

Instead of focusing on how to code in the new system, the conference looked at how other parts of the revenue cycle will be affected by the transition, Vegter said.

“It kind of takes the fear out of it,” she said. “The more training you get, the prepared you are. It’s not as scary.”

Holly May, a coding specialist from Aurora, Ill., said it was nice to attend a conference that gave a broader look at how the transition will affect other parts of the revenue cycle.

“Nurses need coding, doctors need coding, the billers, your denial teams … Just about everybody who touches that person’s chart,” May said. Participants heard presentations on what their offices could do before the October deadline and what they should look for after ICD-10 is implemented.

“You just take advantage of all the opportunities you can, so I mean it’s an educational opportunity and that’s why I’m here,” said Mary Jane Zismer, a certified coder and the billing office manager at John Deere Medical Group in the Quad Cities.

Zismer said the conferences are a good opportunity to bounce ideas off other medical professionals going through the same transition.

Although there is a lot of hype around the transition, May said if coders have a clear grasp on how to code, they should be fine.

“I don’t care whether you have five numbers to figure out the code or you’ve got 15 numbers,” May said. “If you know how to code, you’re going to know how to code.”

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Photo courtesy of: The Gazette

Originally published on: The Gazette