More than 4,000 cases were coded in the 2019 contest focused on outpatient coding. ICD-10 is well-established, and we are already discussing and planning for ICD-11. However, where are the long-anticipated and promised increased accuracy and most definitive diagnoses? At least one coding contest found outpatient coding in 2019 had…

Today’s coder must embrace APR-DRGs and HCCs in order to stay relevant. At the beginning of the year, Facebook’s “10-year challenge” hit the web, with users posting comparison profile pictures from 2009 alongside their 2019 selfies. I’ve since seen a recent resurgence of the challenge over the last week and…

It is important to understand the data needs for your organization from a content perspective as you prepare for ICD-11. As we talk about preparing for the transition from ICD-10 to ICD-11, it is important to realize the importance of data. Healthcare data is important today for population health, determining…

EDITOR’S NOTE: George Vancore appeared during a recent edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays focused his report on lessons learned during the implementation of ICD-10 in preparation for ICD-11. This article is a summary of his remarks. When Chuck Buck recently asked whether I could summarize Florida Blue’s ICD-10 implementation success…

HCCs thrive on specificity and ICD-11 will provide a higher level of specificity than in ICD-10. For those of you who are coding for hierarchical condition category (HCC) purposes, you know that HCCs are categories of related ICD-10 codes. Only selected significant conditions to drive a payment HCC. That means…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten Going on Eleven is a month-long series on ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays that examine important issues related to the transition to ICD-11. Melanie Endicott with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) appeared as a special guest on a recent edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays and…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten Going on Eleven is a month-long series on ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays that examines the importance of data mining, as it pertains to the looming transition to ICD-11. World Health Organization (WHO) Classifications and Terminologies Team Leader Dr. Robert Jakob appeared as a special guest on…

Data mining skills will be a prerequisite in ICD-11.   Medical coding has long been identified as the “signature” skill set or area of expertise of the health information management (HIM) profession, but the new signature skill set is quickly becoming data mining – due in large part to changes…

Now is the time to begin preparing for the new code set. It is good to be back to talk about ICD-11. Yes, it’s a reality now, and all providers can start to get prepared for this significant new system.  ICD-11 has been years in the making, and it is…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Five Looking at Ten is a month-long series on ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays that examines lessons learned since the nation’s healthcare system adopted ICD-10 – many of which are expected to come into play with the looming transition to ICD-11. Stanley Nachimson of Nachimson Advisors appeared as…