A team of researchers may have uncovered what many involved in the transition to ICD-10 have feared all along: Disruption of data and financials is on the horizon.
As the largest organ in the body, the skin is subject to a number of diseases and conditions. With ICD-10-CM, coders will report these conditions with a much higher degree of specificity.
The April 1 confirmation of the delay in implementing the ICD-10 code set certainly took the wind out of many healthcare organizations' sails. Those organizations spent countless hours and dollars preparing for the go-live date that was six months away.
Coders have only two options for reporting fractures of the patella in ICD-9-CM, closed (822.0) and open (822.1). In ICD-10-CM, that number will jump to more than 400.
Many of these options are the result of separate codes to denote laterality (right or left) in ICD-10-CM. However, the code set also includes options for specific types of fractures, increasing the importance of clear and accurate provider documentation.
