Between now and October 2013 you and your staff have a new language to learn. Are you ready? With the arrival of ICD-10, the number of diagnostic codes will increase from 17,000 to 140,000 and you'll have to create new forms to reflect the changes throughout your facility, from the front desk to the ORs to, of course, the billing office.
To help you face this daunting task, the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) has launched an online resource that explains what ICD-10 will change throughout your center as well as how to track your progress in correctly updating your documents and properly training your staff before the switch.
The website also features a conversion tool that translates from ICD-9 to ICD-10 and provides information on continuing education courses and boot camps for physicians, administrators and coders.
Don't wait until the last minute to figure out what you need to do, says AAPC President Deborah Grider, CPC. "Those individuals that believe they can learn ICD-10 properly in October of 2013 at the last minute will be sadly mistaken," she remarks.
To learn more about preparing for ICD-10, check out our coverage of the issue in the September 2010 issue of Outpatient Surgery Magazine.
Kent Steinriede
