2012 is upon us, and for many healthcare organization leaders, the ticking clock of healthcare reform just got a lot louder. In a mere two years, the incentives to implement EHRs will end, and penalties for those that have failed to comply will begin.
Most HIM directors have October 2013 looming in their minds as the ICD-10 implementation deadline. But according to many experts, coders should be coding in both ICD-9 and ICD-10 well in advance of that date.
ICD-10 will bring many changes, particularly when it comes to fracture coding. But practice will help reinforce ICD-10 education on the subject, and Lolita M. Jones, RHIA, CCS, sole principal of Lolita M. Jones Consulting Services in Fort Washington, MD, provides a sample op report for just that purpose.
