subject: Icd 10 Bridge: Crosswalk With Ease [print this page] Presently, CMS comes out with 14,000 ICD-9 codes; however there'll be more than 69,000 ICD-10 codes. The added codes will allow you to provide more detail in describing diagnoses and procedures. As ICD-10 codes will be more detailed and more specific than its predecessor, you may need to encourage your doctors to start being more detailed in his documentation.
While ICD-10 will need some enhancement in physician documentation, the higher the quality of your documentation now, the easier it'll be to stay away from unspecified codes, and the quicker you'll find the proper ICD-10 code.
You should begin by speaking with your physicians now about improving their clinical documentation detail which will be the most vital aspect for them and should be started before the change.
Myth: One of the important worries pertaining to ICD-10 is the increased number of codes making ICD-10 impossible to use. But, this should not be the case. While your urologist's documentation will require to be detailed and clear, the diagnosis code set will not be tougher to use.
Good tidings: As of now, the rules for assigning ICD 10 codes are very similar to the rules for ICD-9. This means that although the codes themselves will change drastically, you'll still follow the same process to determine what conditions to code.
In order to make the transition from ICD 9 to ICD 10 codes, sign up for a one-stop medical coding website. Onboard such a site, you'll have access to the ICD-10 Bridge that'll help you to make a smooth crosswalk. This tool will tell you the CMS suggested code that maps an ICD-9-CM volume 2 code to an ICD-10-CM Volume 2 code and vice versa. However do well to remember that the tool is meant for educational purposes only.
