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Hey Doc, ICD-10 Affects You Too!

Posted by Danny O'Very on Sep 24, 2015 9:37:16 AM


Do you recall the year 1999, or as it became known "Y2K"? People were nervous, scared, and a little irrational with their fears towards the turn of the millennium. I have often reflected back on 1999 as I participate in conversations surrounding the October 1st ICD-10 deadline.

 

The fears that people have expressed have been, well...somewhat irrational. For the most part, healthcare professionals have created an ICD-10 readiness plan. The eBook "The Definitive Guide to ICD-10" has helped many nationwide develop and implement or even reinforce their current ICD-10 transition plan. The supplemental "12 step guide infographic" has attempted to break the plan down into bite size chunks for healthcare professionals. Most of the healthcare professionals we speak with today have a solid plan. Most have reconfigured their systems to support the new requirements. Their IT transition appears to be on point. Many organizations have either already certified their own coders in ICD-10 or they have taken steps to outsource their medical coding to companies like Aviacode who have access to thousands of certified ICD-10 coders. Most, if not all, have set aside budget to accommodate some of the “unknowns” as we approach the ICD-10 deadline. So, is there really any reason to reach for the panic button?

 

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Topics: ICD-10, Physicians, Clinical Documentation

Physicians Not Documenting Properly for ICD-10

Posted by Ben Castleberry on Sep 21, 2015 9:08:55 AM

 

There has been a wealth of information available on the ICD-10 initiative. Nevertheless, many physicians still strongly believe that this is strictly a ‘coding’ issue. Hence, it will not affect them in anyway as they go about their daily routine, nor will they have to submit to any type of training in advance of the October 1, 2015 go-live date.

 

Most physicians seem to comprehend that the ICD-9 to the ICD-10 changeover may result in a loss of revenue if they do not personally ensure that their coders are correctly trained to use the new code sets. On the other hand, the physicians who do not fully comprehend the extensive effects of the ICD-10 implementation will be faced with a momentous revenue loss if they themselves are not sufficiently prepared.

 

While the ICD-10 moves us ahead from our current number of 14,000 diagnosis codes to a future number of 68,000 diagnosis codes, the capability of the coder to properly assign the new codes and use the new coding system relies profoundly on the physician's clinical documentation to finish the process.

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Topics: ICD-10, Physicians

$16M Investment Big News for Aviacode and the Healthcare Industry Overall

Posted by Ben Castleberry on Aug 18, 2015 9:20:10 AM

It’s a great day for Aviacode – and the healthcare industry specifically as we all transition to ICD-10!

Today we announced the closing of a $16 million growth investment from Frontier Capital. We plan to use the funds to further develop and market both our network of certified medical coders and our SaaS-based platform to meet the growing demand for solutions that facilitate medical coding and auditing for physician groups, facilities and surgical centers.

This is especially beneficial for these entities as the October 1 deadline for transitioning to ICD-10 quickly approaches. ICD-10 includes more than 140,000 codes—19 times the number of codes in the outdated ICD-9. The new coding system reflects the latest medical knowledge, allows for more specificity in describing conditions and procedures, and is also a step toward the transition to quality and value-based reimbursement models.

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Topics: ICD-10, Investment

Learning from the Australia and Canada ICD-10 Implementation

Posted by Ben Castleberry on Aug 5, 2015 4:03:00 PM

Australia began their ICD-10 coding standard in 1999. Canada has been using ICD-10 nationwide since 2006. These countries have already been through the process of implementation with all of its problems and headaches. With the idea that, “Those who do no learn from history are doomed to repeat it” here are 6 things we can learn from the Australian and Canadian ICD-10 Implementation:

 

Education

 Australia took the time to meet with analysts, coders, and healthcare professionals to create educational materials. They utilized their resources and took the time to educate their coders on ICD-10. This process began 18 months before it was implemented, which reduced lag times and lead to normal coding production after 12-16 weeks on average.

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Topics: ICD-10, ICD10

Outsource Your Coding Reason 1 of 10: ICD-10 Experienced Coders

Posted by Ben Castleberry on Jun 21, 2015 1:31:00 PM

This is post 1 of a 10 post series on the top 10 reasons you should consider outsourcing your coding.

ICD-10 is coming! Are you ready? The October 1, 2015 deadline is approaching quickly

 and to add to the mayhem the nation currently has about a 30% deficit of ICD-9 medical coders. But what about ICD-10 coders? Currently, medical coders using ICD-9 spend an average of 12-15 minutes per chart with a turnaround period of about 69 days. Once the implementation of ICD-10 occurs it is estimated that coders will spend an average of 33 minutes per chart with a turnaround period of about 139 days. Time lost means revenue lost. Without extensive preparation, the ICD-10 implementation will ensue losses for providers and physicians nationwide, not to mention the sky-rocketing of denied claims.

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Topics: ICD-10, Top Reasons to Outsource Medical Coding, Experienced Medical Coders