ICD-10 Preparations Continue to Lag

Despite a one-year delay, healthcare providers and payers are still lagging in preparing for the conversion to ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure codes. According to a survey by the Workgroup for…

Comments Off on ICD-10 Preparations Continue to Lag

Five reasons you might actually like ICD-10

It’s too much work.  It’s too expensive.  It’s too confusing.  It’ll slow my coders down.  With all the fears, complaints, warnings, and dire predictions surrounding ICD-10, it’s easy to lose…

Comments Off on Five reasons you might actually like ICD-10

ICD-10: How to assess your vendors’ readiness

Healthcare vendor readiness is about ensuring vendors can accommodate your ICD-10 needs. There are basically three elements to the assessment: Identify your vendors List and review contracts Evaluate vendor offerings…

Comments Off on ICD-10: How to assess your vendors’ readiness

AMA Proposal: Why Not Skip an ICD Billing Code Generation?

The governing board of the American Medical Association (AMA) has been considering a proposal that could save commercial health insurers tens of millions of dollars but slow insurers' efforts to…

Comments Off on AMA Proposal: Why Not Skip an ICD Billing Code Generation?

ICD-10 How To Assess Your Vendors Readiness

Healthcare vendor readiness is about ensuring vendors can accommodate your ICD-10 needs. There are basically three elements to the assessment: Identify your vendors List and review contracts Evaluate vendor offerings…

Comments Off on ICD-10 How To Assess Your Vendors Readiness

ICD-10: PSA Screenings and Ureteral Stone Diagnoses

When ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition takes place in 2013, you will not always have an easy one-to-one relationship between old codes and the new codes. See how your ICD-9 codes will change in the following instances when the ICD-10 transition finally takes place.

Comments Off on ICD-10: PSA Screenings and Ureteral Stone Diagnoses

Proper ICD-10 preparation combines technology, testing

While many innovative technologies, policies and procedures for managing patient data will be on display at the 83rd AHIMA Convention & Exhibit in Salt Lake City, the most pressing topic will be International…

Comments Off on Proper ICD-10 preparation combines technology, testing

Don’t ignore ICD-10 conversation, IAIABC cautions

In October 2013, the U.S. health care system will begin using the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets. While the switch is not mandatory for the workers' comp system, "system stakeholders,…

Comments Off on Don’t ignore ICD-10 conversation, IAIABC cautions

ICD-10: I42.- Requires More Cardiomyopathy Details Than 425.4 Does

Tip: A diagnosis that falls under an ICD-9 ‘other’ code may have its own ICD-10 code.

Under ICD-9, when the manual doesn’t offer a code specific to your diagnosis, you usually choose one of the catch-all “other specified” codes available, such as 425.4 (Other primary cardiomyopathies). When you start applying ICD-10 codes in October 2013, you may find that your catch-all code has been divided into more specific options. Here’s how the ICD-10 counterparts for 425.4 will look.

ICD-9 coding rules: Cardiomyopathy literally means disease of the heart muscle and can refer to many types of heart disease. ICD-9 offers one code for “other” primary cardiomyopathies: 425.4. It’s appropriate for cardiomyopathy NOS, congestive, constrictive, familial, hypertrophic, idiopathic, nonobstructive, obstructive (but see 425.1 for hypertrophic obstructive), and restrictive. Code 425.4 is also appropriate for cardiovascular collagenosis.

ICD-10 changes: ICD-10 divides your options for “other” cardiomyopathy among three codes:

  • I42.2, Other hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • I42.5, Other restrictive cardiomyopathy
  • I42.8, Other cardiomyopathies.

Code I42.2 will be appropriate for other cardiomyopathy: hypertrophic, nonobstructive. Code I42.5 will be appropriate for other cardiomyopathy: restrictive, constrictive NOS. Code I42.8 is appropriate for any other cardiomyopathies not listed elsewhere, including newborn and obscure of Africa, as well as cardiovascular collagenosis.

Caution: Check the index and full I42.- range in the tabular list before choosing an “other” code. For example, several of the diagnoses that fall under 425.4 in ICD-9 do not fall under the “other” cardiomyopathy codes in ICD- 10. Specifically, obstructive cardiomyopathy is coded to I42.1 under ICD-10, congestive falls under I42.0, and familial and idiopathic fall under I42.9.

Remember: When ICD-10 goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2013, you should apply the code set and official guidelines in effect for the date of service reported. Learn more at www.cms.gov/ICD10/ and www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm#10update.

Be ready...

Comments Off on ICD-10: I42.- Requires More Cardiomyopathy Details Than 425.4 Does