With the biggest change to the coding world just around the corner, dual coding in ICD-9 and ICD-10 is one task that should be at the top of everyone’s list of implementation priorities.
Coders are aware that ICD-10-CM will allow much more specificity than ICD-9-CM, and that is very evident in the section covering injuries to the wrist, hand, and fingers (S60–S69).
When an NCCI edit occurs on a claim, providers can go directly to CMS’ website and download the latest edits to pinpoint why the edit occurred and what codes may be conflicting.
Communication is a major portion of the documentation and coding conundrum. Creating avenues for information exchange with the physician community is essential to the success of clinical documentation improvement (CDI) and the capture of coded data. Physicians take a variety of courses (e.g., pathology, physiology, disease manifestations, etiology, and process) throughout their academic medical education. However, their education does not address the importance or the details of documenting medical terminology with specific information that corresponds to ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. Physician profiles and scorecards have been linked to ICD-9-CM codes; physician awareness of this and future linkage to ICD-10 is necessary.
