Improve Clinical Documentation for ICD-10

By Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA from Physicians Practice

With less than a year left before the "go-live" date for ICD-10, industry focus is turning more and more to clinical documentation improvement (CDI), as it will be even more vital to every facility. -

Under ICD-10’s more rigorous specificity requirements, physician documentation will need to meet the higher standard as well. If your practice is fully prepared for ICD-10 in every other aspect, but clinical documentation has not improved, accurate coding and proper payment will not be possible.

A recent study of more than 20,000 audits of physicians’ clinical documentation revealed that only 63 percent of current documentation is sufficient for ICD-10’s specificity levels. Keep in mind, the insufficient documentation found in these audits often represented a larger percentage of at-risk revenue. For example, in one larger assessment, findings indicated seven of the most commonly used diagnosis codes accounted for 93 percent of the facility’s revenue.

Here are a few examples of where documentation changes will likely be needed:

Diabetes documentation must include:
• Type of diabetes
• Body system affected
• Complication or manifestation
• If a patient with type 2 diabetes is using insulin, a secondary code for long term insulin use is required

Neoplasms documentation must include:
•Type:Malignant (Primary, Secondary, Ca in situ)
Benign
Uncertain
Unspecified behavior
• Location(s) (site specific)
• If malignant, any secondary sites should also be determined
• Laterality, in some cases

Asthma documentation must include:
• Severity of disease:
Mild intermittent
Mild persistent
Moderate persistent
Severe persistent
• Acute exacerbation
• Status asthmaticus
• Other types (exercise induced, cough variant, other)

These are only a few examples of the more specific documentation requirements.

To avoid an increase in denied claims under ICD-10, perform an ICD-10 readiness assessment. Here's how:

Start by running a report in your computer system and sorting it by diagnosis code. Next, take your top 10 most commonly used diagnoses and run another report of patients that had those diagnoses appended to them. Pull 10 to 20 charts for your most commonly used diagnosis code. Review the ICD-10-CM guidelines (if there are any) for the chapter in which the diagnosis is located. Then, review the notes for diagnosis only. Look at the history and the assessment, and see how much can be coded under ICD-10-CM.

Based on the documentation, determine how many of these notes:
• Could be coded under ICD-10-CM
• Need more specific information to code
• Had to be coded to an unspecified code

Each provider in your facility should review these findings so they understand what documentation is needed to support this specific diagnosis in ICD-10. Then, move on to the next diagnosis on your top 10 list, and keep evaluating until your list is complete.

The facility should have a target percentage for the assessments and schedule future readiness evaluations, even if the goal is reached along the way.

How often these evaluations take place will depend on the number of providers at your facility, the number of different specialties, the type of specialties (some are seeing more changes in ICD-10 than others), and how providers perform. To ensure a smooth transition and a minimal impact on revenue, these assessments should become part of the regular audit process even after implementation of ICD-10. 

Courtesy of: Physicians Practice http://www.physicianspractice.com/blog/improve-clinical-documentation-icd-10?cid=fbP2Buckholtz120413

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Improve Medical Practice Efficiency by Offering Group Visits

As reimbursement declines and overhead increases, many practices are struggling to keep up. But rather than attempting to squeeze more patient visits into each day, has your practice considered seeing more patients per visit?

Perhaps it should. The number of practices offering group visits has increased from about two percent to three percent just two years ago to about 10 percent this year, practice management consultant Owen Dahl recently told Physicians Practice.

Here's more on how a group visit works, what it entails, and why your practice may want to consider it.

How a group visit works. During a group visit, multiple patients with similar chronic conditions (such as diabetes, osteoporosis, congestive heart failure, or COPD) meet at the same time with their physician and other appropriate staff.  The visit is held in a private area in the practice, such as a conference room.
The visits may include the following components:

• The taking of vital signs;
• An educational piece, such as a 30-minute discussion with a nutritional counselor, dietician, exercise physiologist, podiatrist, or an ophthalmologist;
• A group discussion, during which patients talk with each other about their particular needs, struggles, challenges, lessons learned, and so on;
• And an individual assessment, during which the physician pulls patients out of the group individually for private exams.

"You see these 15 patients in an hour and half, so you're very efficient there," said Dahl. "The other thing that happens is you free up time slots on your schedule to see other patients."
How a group visit is reimbursed.  After the group visit, the practice bills the appropriate visit (99213 or 99214) for each patient that attends. "You don’t bill based on time, you bill based on the criteria for the level of visit they had," said Dahl, noting that documentation must support the level of code.

How a group visit benefits patients. Group visits provide patients with a support group facing similar issues, and they give patients an opportunity to receive more in-depth education about their condition. That often translates to better outcomes, said Dahl.

"You're actually improving patient care, and I say that with some conviction," he said. "The research that’s been done indicates clearly that there’s a positive outcome with patients being more compliant with their treatment plans ... seeking care, getting involved. There are all of these spinoff benefits that come together.

"How a practice can get involved. Assess your patient population to determine if you have enough patients with similar chronic conditions for which a group visit would be beneficial. Then, determine if enough of your patients would participate, said Dahl.

If you determine that a group visit is something you can and should offer, promote it to patients through one-on-one discussions, handouts, and if applicable, on your practice's website or patient portal.

Before the visit, require all participants to sign group-visit specific HIPAA forms noting that they understand that they will be talking about personal health information with other patients, and stating that they will keep the information shared during the group visit confidential.

Article By Aubrey Westgate of Physicians Practice

Do you offer group visits at your practice? What tips would you share with other physicians?

READ MORE - Improve Medical Practice Efficiency by Offering Group Visits

2013-2014 Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals

MLN Matters® Number: SE1336
Provider Types Affected

This MLN Matters® Special Edition article is intended for all health care professionals who order, refer, or provide flu vaccines and vaccine administration to Medicare beneficiaries.
What You Need to Know

Keep this Special Edition MLN Matters® article and refer to it throughout the 2013 - 2014 flu season.

Take advantage of each office visit as an opportunity to encourage your patients to protect themselves from the flu and serious complications by getting a flu shot.
Continue to provide the flu shot as long as you have vaccine available, even after the new year.
Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff.

Introduction

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds health care professionals that Medicare Part B reimburses health care providers for flu vaccines and their administration. (Medicare provides coverage of the flu vaccine without any out-of-pocket costs to the Medicare patient. No deductible or copayment/coinsurance applies.)

You can help your Medicare patients reduce their risk for contracting seasonal flu and serious complications by using every office visit as an opportunity to recommend they take advantage of
Medicare's coverage of the annual flu shot.

As a reminder, please help prevent the spread of flu by immunizing yourself and your staff!

Know What to Do About the Flu!

Educational Products for Health Care Professionals
The Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) has developed a variety of educational resources to help you understand Medicare guidelines for seasonal flu vaccines and their administration.

1. MLN Influenza Related Products for Health Care Professionals

• MLN Matters® Article MM8433: Influenza Vaccine Payment Allowances – Annual Update for 2013-2014 Season – http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM8433.pdf
• Quick Reference Information: Medicare Part B Immunization Billing chart - http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/downloads/qr_immun_bill.pdf
• Quick Reference Information: Preventive Services chart - http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prevention/PrevntionGenInfo/Downloads/MPS_QuickReferenceChart_1.pdf
• Preventive Immunizations booklet – http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/Preventive-Immunizations-ICN907787.pdf
• MLN Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page  - http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/PreventiveServices.html
• Preventive Services Educational Products PDF – http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/downloads/education_products_prevserv.pdf

2. Other CMS Resources

• Seasonal Influenza Vaccines 2013 Pricing - http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Part-B-Drugs/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/2013ASPFiles.html
• Immunizations web page is located at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prevention/Immunizations/index.html
• Prevention General Information is located at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prevention/PrevntionGenInfo/index.html
• CMS Frequently Asked Questions - http://questions.cms.gov/faq.php  
• Medicare Benefit Policy Manual - Chapter 15, Section 50.4.4.2 – Immunizations - http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/bp102c15.pdf   
• Medicare Claims Processing Manual – Chapter 18, Preventive and Screening Services http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/clm104c18.pdf

3. Other Resources

The following non-CMS resources are just a few of the many available where you may find useful information and tools for the 2013 – 2014 flu season:

• Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices -  http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html  
• Flu Clinic Locator - http://www.flucliniclocator.org
• Other sites with helpful information include:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/flu;
  • Flu.gov - http://www.flu.gov; 
  • Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov;
  • Immunization Action Coalition - http://www.immunize.org;  
  • Indian Health Services -  http://www.ihs.gov/;  
  • National Alliance for Hispanic Health - http://www.hispanichealth.org;  
  • National Foundation For Infectious Diseases - http://www.nfid.org/influenza;
  • National Library of Medicine and NIH Medline Plus - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunization.html;
  • National Network for Immunization Information - http:/www.immunizationinfo.org;
  • National Vaccine Program - http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo;
  • Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion - http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov;   
  • Partnership for Prevention - http://www.prevent.org; and
  • World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/en

Beneficiary Information
For information to share with your Medicare patients, please visit http://www.medicare.gov on the Internet.

READ MORE - 2013-2014 Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals

Six ICD-10 Questions for Your Medical Claims Clearinghouse

By Lucien W. Roberts courtesy of Physicians Practice

It's September, and you've been busy since February preparing for ICD-10. No? Well, fortunately you still have 12 months to get ready. One key partner in your preparations should be your medical claims clearinghouse.

One of the things I learned from the HIPAA 5010 transition was that it hurt cash flow in way too many practices. I had the chance to observe two practices that had the same practice management system, the same payers, but different clearinghouses. One practice was a month down on cash flow well into the spring; the other had no cash flow disruption at all.

A very few clearinghouses made the 5010 transition seamless for practices; accepting both 4010- and 5010-formatted claims and then converting them, as necessary, on a payer-by-payer basis.  I never appreciated the value of a reliable clearinghouse partner until the 5010 transition.

So how does that lesson apply to the ICD-10 transition? As with 5010, your practice's cash flow will be at risk during the ICD-10 transition. Here are six questions to ask your clearinghouse as you prepare your practice for ICD-10.

1. Our practice suffered a disruption of cash flow during the 5010 transition. What will you do differently with ICD-10 to prevent a repeat performance?

(This is an optional question for practices that suffered during the 5010 transition. If you do not like the answer you get, consider moving to a clearinghouse whose 5010 performance was stronger.)

2. Would you please run a report of claims rejections and denials by ICD-9 code?

(And while you're at it, please provide guidance on how to prevent these errors.)

3. Would you run a similar report by payer?

(Such a report will give you a good basis for meeting with your key payers and discussing their ICD-10 conversion plans.)

4. Please run a report that identifies the "generic" codes each provider uses regularly.

(Generic ICD-9 codes (like 250.00 for Type II diabetes) are most likely to be denied by payers going forward. These codes should be your first priority as you commence ICD-9 to ICD-10 mapping.)

5. Could you share advice on mapping my superbill from ICD-9 to ICD-10?

(Coding remains each provider's responsibility. However, your clearinghouse may be helpful in this critical exercise.)

6. Could you share the progress of your discussions with my practice management vendor and my payers? When can we start sending test claims?

(Mapping from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is not an exact code-for-code proposition. Prudent practices will map — test — refine — test — refine their coding well before they submit their first real ICD-10 claim on Oct. 1, 2014.)

Post ICD-10 performance evaluation

TK Software of Carmel, Ind., is one clearinghouse whose clients were unaffected by the 5010 transition. TK Software's managing partner, Matt Behringer, shared their post-ICD-10 plans: "A post ICD-10 performance evaluation is critical," Behringer says. "Your clearinghouse should be able to create reports that show encounters, dollars billed, dollars rejected, and/or denied [claims] per day for each provider, pre- and post-ICD-10."

I agree. Ongoing cash flow in an ICD-10 world will require diligence and corrective education in the days and months following Oct. 1, 2014. A reliable clearinghouse partner helps, but it remains incumbent upon practices to begin their ICD-10 preparations now.

Article by: Lucien W. Roberts, III, MHA, FACMPE, is a consultant and a former practice administrator. For the past 20 years, he has worked in and consulted with physician practices in areas such as compliance, physician compensation, negotiations, strategic planning, and billing/collections. He can be reached at Lucien.roberts@yahoo.com.

Article courtesy of http://www.physicianspractice.com/icd-10/six-icd-10-questions-your-medical-claims-clearinghouse?GUID=2E8F906E-CDE7-43B7-AC93-7066F83372C7&rememberme=1&ts=19092013

READ MORE - Six ICD-10 Questions for Your Medical Claims Clearinghouse

Medicare Preventative Services National Provider Call

READ MORE - Medicare Preventative Services National Provider Call

"New" CMS-1500: WCMS-1500CS-12 Date of Implimentation Unknown (as of August 2013)

1500 Health Insurance Claim Form Change Log 6/17/2013 
The following is the list of changes between the 1500 Claim Form 08/05 version and the 02/12 version.

 

Header: The barcode was removed.

Header: The language “PLEASE DO NOT STAPLE IN THIS AREA” was removed from the left-hand side.

Header: The rectangle with “1500” was added in black ink to the left-hand side.

Header: The title “HEALTH INSURANCE CLAIM FORM” was moved from the lower, right-hand side to the left-hand side.

Header: The language “APPROVED BY NATIONAL UNIFORM CLAIM COMMITTEE 08/05” was added to the left-hand side.

Header: The language “TEST VERSION – NOT FOR OFFICIAL USE” was added to the right-hand side. This language will be removed when the form is approved by OMB.

Box 1: “TRICARE” was added above “CHAMPUS”.

Box 1: Under CHAMPVA, “VA File #” was changed to “Member ID#”.

Box 17a: The box was split in half length-wise.

Box 17a: This area was shaded. This box will accommodate other ID numbers.

Box 17a: Two vertical lines were added. This field will accommodate a two byte qualifier for other ID numbers.

Box 17b: This field was added.

Box 17b: Two vertical lines were added with the “NPI” label. This field will accommodate the NPI number.

Box 21: The lines after the decimal point in items 1, 2, 3, and 4 were extended to accommodate four bytes.

Box 24: The line with the alpha indicators was removed. The alpha indicators were moved next to the respective titles in the title fields.

Box 24: The line numbers to the left of Box 24 were increased in size and centered with each line.

Box 24: Each of the six lines were split length-wise and shading was added to the top portion of each line. This area is to be used for the reporting of supplemental information.

Box 24: Vertical line separators on each of the six lines have been removed from the shaded area,               except for the lines before Boxes 24I and 24J.

Box 24C: “Type of Service” was removed. This field is now titled “EMG”.

Box 24D: The field became wider by three bytes.

Box 24D: Shading was added vertically between “CPT/HCPCS” and “MODIFIER”.

Box 24D: Vertical lines were added in the unshaded “MODIFIER” section to accommodate four                  sets of two bytes.

Box 24E: The title was changed from “DIAGNOSIS CODE” to “DIAGNOSIS POINTER”.

Box 24E: The field was decreased by three bytes.

Box 24G: This field was increased by one byte.

Box 24H: This field was decreased by one byte.

Box 24I: The title was changed from “EMG” to “ID. QUAL.”.

Box 24I: A horizontal line was added length-wise across the field separating the shaded and unshaded portions of the field.

Box 24I: The label “NPI” was added in the unshaded portion of the field.

Box 24J: The title was changed from “COB” to “RENDERING PROVIDER ID. #”. 1500 Claim                            Form Change Log – 11/29/05

Box 24J: A dotted horizontal line was added length-wise across the field separating the shaded and unshaded portions of the field. The NPI number is to be reported in the unshaded field. An other ID number can be reported in the shaded field.

Box 24K: This field, “RESERVED FOR LOCAL USE”, was removed.

Box 32: Boxes 32a and 32b were added at the bottom.

Box 32a: This field was added to accommodate reporting of the NPI number and is indicated by the shaded label of “NPI”.

Box 32b: This shaded field was added to accommodate the reporting of other ID numbers.

Box 33: Parentheses were added after the title to indicate the location for reporting the telephone number.

Box 33: Boxes 33a and 33b were added at the bottom.

Box 33a: The title of this field was changed from “PIN#” to “a.”.

Box 33a: A shaded label of NPI was added to the box to indicate the reporting of the NPI number.

Box 33b: The title was changed from “GRP#” to “b.” to accommodate the reporting of other ID numbers.

Box 33b: The field was shaded.

Footer: The language “NUCC Instruction Manual available at: www.nucc.org” was added to the left-hand side.

Footer: The OMB approval numbers were removed and the language “OMB APPROVAL                 PENDING” was added. The numbers will be added after approval has been received by OMB.

Back: The following language was added in the last line at the bottom of the form: “This address     is for comments and/or suggestions only. DO NOT MAIL COMPLETED CLAIM  FORMS TO THIS ADDRESS.”

 

Courtesy of HMBA

READ MORE - "New" CMS-1500: WCMS-1500CS-12 Date of Implimentation Unknown (as of August 2013)

Final ICD-9-CM Code Set Update: ICD-10, It's Closer Than it Seems

The final updates to ICD-9-CM codes will take effect on October 1, 2013. These updates will be in effect until the ICD-10 transition takes place on October 1, 2014. You can find the last official ICD-9-CM code titles, both full and abbreviated, posted on the CMS website.
“For those of us who have been maintaining ICD-9-CM codes since the code set’s implementation in 1979, this final ICD-9-CM code update is a historic occasion,” said Pat Brooks of the CMS Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group. “We look forward to the implementation and maintenance of ICD-10 in 2014.”

READ MORE - Final ICD-9-CM Code Set Update: ICD-10, It's Closer Than it Seems

Yes, you can bill a separate problem during a well check visit

Watch for significant service that could boost pay.
When a patient come to your office for a preventative wellness visit, don't automatically assign a code from 99381-99397 and think your claim is complete. If the patient mentions a health problem or other concern during the preventative visit, the encounter might qualify for two codes.

Checkpoint: If the problem ranks as "significant" you can report your work to address is in addition to the preventative care. This may take the form of a problem-oriented E/M code (e.g. 99201-99215). a procedural service,or both.

Here's how: If the patient's problem necessitated additional work required to perform the key components of a problem-oriented E/M service in addition to the preventative medicine visit, submit the appropriate preventative medicine code from 99381-99397 and the appropriate problem-oriented E/M code with modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional on the same day of the procedure of other service) appended to the problem-oriented code.

If the problem required you to perform a procedural service, then you would submit the relevant procedure code, plus the appropriate preventative medicine code from 99381-99397 with modifier
25 appended to indicate the preventative visit was significant and separately identifiable form the procedure (just as you would if billing a problem-oriented E/M code and an office procedure on the same date of service).

If you were reporting a preventative medicine E/M service, a problem-oriented E/M service, and a procedural service for the same encounter (a rare occurrence), you may need to append modifier 25 to both E/M codes to indicate that each is separately identifiable from the procedure and each other.

Key: Although poorly covered in the past, many payers now recognize and pay for these separate, significantly identifiable services addressed during preventative medicine visits. Of course, those additional services, if covered, may also result in a patient financial obligation (e.g. deductible, copay, or coinsurance) that would not accrue with a simple preventative visit. Managing patient expectations in this situation is important.

"Under the Affordable Care Act, health plans are generally prohibited from financially obligating patients for a covered preventative service, so patients presenting for a preventative medicine visit typically expect that there will be no charge for them for any portion of the encounter," notes Kent Moore, senior strategist for physician payment at the American Academy of Family Physicians in Leawood, KS. "However, problem-oriented E/M services and procedures may be subject to deductibles and patient-cost sharing, so if you are going to provide either one during a preventative visit, the patient needs to understand the possible financial implications of that, which avoids any surprises when the explanation of benefits and your bill arrives later," adds Moore.

Example: A 52-year-old established patient comes in for a preventative medicine service (99396, Periodic comprehensive preventative medicine reevaluation and management of an individual including an age and gender appropriate history, examination, counseling/anticipatory guidance/risk factor reduction interventions, and the ordering of laboratory/diagnostic procedures, established patient; 40-64 years). During the visit, she mentions a sore spot on the bottom of her foot, which the physician immediately diagnoses as a plantar wart and offers to remove it with cryotherapy (17110, Destruction [e.g. laser surgery, electro-surgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions; up to 14 lesions). The patient agrees, and the physician treats the wart with liquid nitrogen.

 What to report: You should code the encounter as 99396-25 and 17110. Link diagnosis V70.0 (Routine medical examination at a health care facility) to 99396 and diagnoses 078.12 (Plantar wart) to 17110.

3 tips: If you're still unsure whether you're justified in billing s problem-based E/M code along with the preventative visit, keep a few criteria in mind:

• If the problem is significant enough that it would require or justify the patient to come back for another visit if the physician doesn't address it, that could be a clue that you're dealing with a problem-based E/M situation.
• Check whether the problem has its own ICD-9 diagnosis code. If so, that means addressing the issue could be a stand-alone (and separately reportable) service.
• Look for additional evaluation and treatment options, such as X-ray or lab tests, or written prescriptions. These can be other signs that the physician is addressing a significant problem.

Courtesy of: The Coding Institute, Family Practice Coding Alert

READ MORE - Yes, you can bill a separate problem during a well check visit

What is a superbill?

What is a superbill? Also known as a charge slip or patient encounter. A superbill is an itemized form consisting of CPT, HCPC and ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM codes. This form is completed by a provider to communicate services rendered to his biller.

 

The patient name, date of birth, medical record number, demographic information and insurance information is commonly found at the top of a superbill.
When the patient arrives at their physician's office the receptionist prints a superbill. The physician will complete the superbill during and/or after seeing the patient and completing the chart notes. The superbill then goes to the medical biller to enter into the billing software and send a claim electronically or by paper to the patients insurance company.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) programs will have a superbill template on the screen the physician uses, often on a tablet. The physician simply chooses the diagnosis/diagnoses and service(s) rendered by touching his screen. The information is then sent electronically to the medical biller. Then it is reviewed and converted onto a claim form for electronic or paper claim billing to the insurance company.
By: Gina Thatcher of Smart Billing Solutions www.smartbillingsolutions.net

READ MORE - What is a superbill?

Medical billing Diagnosis humor! Let's lighten it up a bit... this is hilarious!

Coding A Morning

by Rob at http://more-distractible.org/2009/10/26/coding-a-morning/

in Being a Doctor, Best Of, Humor, The Healthcare Problem

PLACE OF OCCURRENCE, HOME ICD-E849.0
6:00 AM
Alarm goes off. Hit snooze button. CIRCADIAN RHYTHM SLEEP D/O IRREG SLEEPWAKE TYPE ICD-327.33
6:30

• Alarm goes off for third time. Ready to hit snooze button, but knee in ribs from wife prevents more snooze button procrastination. CONTUSION OF CHEST WALL ICD-922.1, ADULT MALTREATMENT UNSPECIFIED NEC ICD-995.8
• Feeling tired, go to make a pot of coffee. CAFFEINE ADDICTION ICD-304.40
• Fill bowl with Lucky Charms and start eating. UNSPECIFIED NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY ICD-269.9, HYPERGLYCEMIA ICD-790.29

6:45

• Realize that coffee pot needs to be turned on for it to make coffee. ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER, ADULT ICD-314.00, LISTLESSNESS ICD-780.79
• Turn coffee pot on and wander to check email, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. OBSESSION ICD-300.3
• Daughter wanders in with dazed expression and blanket draping shoulders. STUPOR ICD-780.09
• Speaks only in soft, irritated grunts. SELECTIVE MUTISM ICD-313.23, E/M 99212 ENCOUNTER, ESTABLISHED, BRIEF

7:00

• Bring cup of coffee to wife in bed. She moans when she looks at the clock. Another morning headache. E/M 99215, ENCOUNTER, ESTABLISHED, HIGH COMPLEXITY; OTHER COMPLICATED HEADACHE SYNDROME ICD-339.44, OTHER SPEC MENOPAUSAL&POSTMENOPAUSAL DISORDER ICD-627.8
• Wake up other children who return evil glares for gentle nudging. CHILD EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE ICD-995.51; E/M 99214, ENCOUNTER, ESTABLISHED, MODERATE COMPLEXITY
• Walk to shower and get frustrated at towels not hung up. ANGER ICD-312.00

7:25

• Shower, shave, and get dressed. LACERATION, FACE ICD-873.40
• Walk downstairs to find kids sulking and wife frustrated. UNDERSOCIALIZED CONDUCT D/O UNAGRESSIVE UNSPEC ICD-312.10
• Try to give her advice. COUNSELING FOR PARENT-CHILD PROBLEM UNSPECIFIED ICD-V61.20
• Wife glowers. MARITAL&PARTNER PROBLEMS UNSPECIFIED ICD-V61.10
• Say: “We have to leave in five minutes!” in an angry voice. PROBLEMS WITH COMMUNICATION ICD-V40.1
• Children glower. FAMILY DISRUPTION D/T PARENT-CHILD ESTRANGEMENT ICD-V61.04
• Wife sighs and chides for the tone of voice. COUNSELING FOR PARENT-BIOLOGICAL CHILD PROBLEM V61.23; E/M 99215, ENCOUNTER, ESTABLISHED, HIGH COMPLEXITY

PLACE OF OCCURRENCE STREET AND HIGHWAY ICD-E849.5
7:40

• Finally in car with daughter, driving to school. CRITICAL CARE INTERFACILITY TRANSPORT EA 30 MIN CPT-99467
• Daughter still not talking more than mumbles. OBSERVATION CHILDHOOD/ADOLES ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR ICD-V71.02
• Turn on iPod and play music daughter doesn’t like. PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY DISORDER ICD-301.84

7:55

• Daughter dropped off, running frantically to not be tardy. Angry that “we are always late.” UNSPEC EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE CHLD/ADOLESCENCE ICD-319.3
• Don’t attempt to explain that it is seldom the chauffeur’s fault. HEARTBURN ICD-787.1
• Nod and smile. FEAR OF WOMEN ICD-300.29
• Drive to work. AGGRESSION ICD-312.00

OTHER SPECIFIED PLACE OF OCCURRENCE ICD-E849.8
8:15

• Arrive at work, greeted by a long list of unsigned charts that materialized mysteriously overnight. DEPRESSION, SITUATIONAL, ICD-300.4
• Go to kitchen and pour another cup of coffee – mega jumbo size. CAFFEINE EXCESS ICD-305.90
• First patient status is “arrived” even though appointment is for 8:45. Sigh loudly. AVOIDANT PERSONALITY DISORDER ICD-301.82
• Check email, blog hits. DEPENDENCE ON OTHER ENABLING MACHINE ICD-V46.8

8:45-12:00

• See patients, answer phone messages, assess lab and x-ray results, and periodically check email, blog, etc. ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ICD-V62.1,
• Talk with drug reps who explain advantages of drugs which have been out for many years. AMNESIA, PSYCHOGENIC ICD-300.12; E/M 99213 ENCOUNTER, ESTABLISHED, LOW COMPLEXITY
• Get another mega jumbo cup of coffee. PREMATURE ATRIAL CONTRACTIONS ICD-427.61; POISONING BY CAFFEINE ICD-969.71; EROSIVE GASTRITIS ICD-535.40

READ MORE - Medical billing Diagnosis humor! Let's lighten it up a bit... this is hilarious!

CMS 1500 claim form instructions

The CMS-1500 form is the standard claim form used by a non-institutional provider or supplier to bill Medicare carriers and durable medical equipment regional carriers (DMERCs) when a provider qualifies for a waiver from the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) requirement for electronic submission of claims. It is also used for billing of some Medicaid State Agencies. Please contact your Medicaid State Agency for more details.
The National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) is responsible for the design and maintenance of the CMS-1500 form. CMS does not supply the form to providers for claim submission. In order to purchase claim forms, you should contact the U.S. Government Printing Office at 1-866-512-1800, local printing companies in your area, and/or office supply stores. Each of the vendors above sells the CMS-1500 claim form in its various configurations (single part, multi-part, continuous feed, laser, etc).
The only acceptable claim forms are those printed in Flint OCR Red, J6983, (or exact match) ink. Although a copy of the CMS-1500 form can be downloaded, copies of the form cannot be used for submission of claims, since your copy may not accurately replicate the scale and OCR color of the form. The majority of paper claims sent to carriers and DMERCs are scanned using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. This scanning technology allows for the data contents contained on the form to be read while the actual form fields, headings, and lines remain invisible to the scanner. Photocopies cannot be scanned and therefore are not accepted by all carriers and DMERCs.
You can find Medicare CMS-1500 completion and coding instructions, as well as the print specifications in Chapter 26 of the Medicare Claims Processing Manual (Pub.100-04).

The NUCC has developed a 1500 Reference Instruction Manual detailing how to complete the claim form. The purpose of this manual is to help standardize nationally the manner in which the form is being completed.

The current version of the instructions (v 9.0) was released in July 2013.
• Version 9.0 7/13

Courtesy of: http://www.nucc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=114

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A very informative video about medical terminology for any medical biller

READ MORE - A very informative video about medical terminology for any medical biller

House bill would stop ICD-10 mandate

Legislation introduced in the U.S. House would prohibit the Dept. of Health and Human Services from mandating that physicians use ICD-10 diagnosis codes beginning Oct. 1, 2014.

The bill, the Cutting Costly Codes Act of 2013, would stop the required transition to new diagnosis code sets by physicians who are billing for medical services, verifying patient eligibility, obtaining pre-authorizations, documenting patient visits, and conducting both public health reporting and quality reporting. The mandated switch to the 68,000-code system had been established in a 2009 regulation. HHS announced in 2012 that its implementation deadline had been delayed by one year to 2014.

The American Medical Association wrote an April 26 letter to Rep. Ted Poe (R, Texas) in support of his legislation. Physician practices must bear the cost of training, software upgrades and testing of the new system. The projected cost of ICD-10 implementation ranges from $83,290 to more than $2.7 million per practice, the AMA letter stated.

“The timing of the ICD-10 transition could not be worse, as many physicians are currently spending significant time and resources implementing electronic health records into their practices,” the AMA said. “Physicians are also facing present and future financial burdens in the form of penalties if they do not successfully participate in multiple Medicare programs already under way, including e-prescribing, EHR meaningful use, the physician quality reporting system and value-based modifier programs.”

The House legislation also would authorize the Government Accountability Office to study ICD-10 and recommend ways to mitigate upgrade disruptions within the health care system.

 

This article courtesy of: http://www.amednews.com/article/20130513/government/130519980/10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=20130708

 

READ MORE - House bill would stop ICD-10 mandate

ICD-10 FAQ's and Medi-Cal (California Medi-Caid)

ICD-10: FAQs

1. What does International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) compliance mean?
   ICD-10 compliance means that all HIPAA-covered entities are able to successfully conduct health care transactions on or after October 1, 2014, using the ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes. ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes can no longer be used for health care services provided on or after this date.
2. Why is the ICD-10 transition necessary?
   ICD-10 is a provision of HIPAA, as regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This federal mandate pertains to all HIPAA-covered entities.

   The transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is occurring for the following reasons:

   • ICD-9 codes have limited data about patient’s medical conditions and hospital inpatient procedures.
   • ICD-9 codes use outdated and obsolete terms and are not consistent with current medical practices.

   The structure of ICD-9 limits the number of new codes that can be created, and many ICD-9 categories are full. A successful transition to ICD-10 is vital to transforming our nation’s health care system.
3. Codes change every year, so why is the transition to ICD-10 any different from the annual code changes?
   ICD-10 codes are different from ICD-9 codes in several ways. Currently, ICD-9 codes are for the most part numeric and have three to five digits. ICD-10 codes are alphanumeric and contain three to seven characters. ICD-10 codes provide a higher level of description. However, like ICD-9 codes, ICD-10 codes will be updated every year.
4. Will ICD-10 replace Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) procedure coding?
   No. The transition to ICD-10 does not affect CPT coding for outpatient procedures. Like ICD-9 procedure codes, ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (PCS) codes are for hospital inpatient procedures only.
5. What is the implementation date for ICD-10?
   On October 1, 2014, medical coding in U.S. health care settings will change from ICD-9 code sets to ICD-10 code sets.
6. After the October 1, 2014, implementation date, when do I use ICD-9 versus ICD-10 on my claim?
   Please refer to the chart below, using the date specified in the date field, to determine the ICD code version to use.  If the value of the date field is before October 1, 2014, use ICD-9 to code the diagnosis. If the value of the date field is on or after October 1, 2014, use ICD-10.

   Claim Type	Claims	Date Field To Be Used For Determining ICD Code Version
   1	Pharmacy	Date of service
   2	Long Term Care (LTC)	Through date
   3	Inpatient	Through date
   4	Outpatient	From date
   5	Medical	From date

   In addition, all claims received on or after the ICD-10 compliance date will require a version indicator (ICD-9 = 9 or ICD-10 = 0).
7. Will there be a grace period for converting to ICD-10?
   No.
8. How is Medi-Cal addressing the implementation of ICD-10?
   Medi-Cal will be using a crosswalk solution in the legacy California Medicaid Management Information System (CA-MMIS). Medi-Cal has mapped all ICD-10 codes to corresponding ICD-9 codes by starting with the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs) provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and modifying the mappings to align with existing Medi-Cal policy. Claims will be run against the crosswalk to determine the ICD-9 value to process through the system.
9. What is a crosswalk solution?
   Medi-Cal has mapped all ICD-10 codes to corresponding ICD-9 codes starting with the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs) and Reimbursement Mappings provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and modifying the mappings to align with existing Medi-Cal policy. Claims that are submitted with ICD-10 starting October 1, 2014, will be run against this crosswalk to identify the appropriate ICD-9 code that will be used to process the claim.
10. Will an ICD-10 to ICD-9 crosswalk be published?
    Medi-Cal will not publish the crosswalk. However, the provider manuals will be updated with the ICD-10 codes as appropriate.
11. Who is affected by the transition to ICD-10? If I don’t deal with Medicare claims, will I have to transition?
    Everyone covered by HIPAA must transition to ICD-10. This includes providers and payers who do not deal with Medicare or Medicaid claims.
12. What if I don’t make the transition to ICD-10?
    For HIPAA-covered entities, transition to ICD-10 is not an option. Claims for all services and hospital inpatient procedures performed on or after the compliance deadline must use ICD-10 diagnosis and inpatient procedure codes. This change does not apply to Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding for outpatient procedures. Without ICD-10, providers will experience delayed payments or even non-payments; increased rejected, denied or pending claims; reduced cash flows and ultimately lost revenues.

    It is important to note, however, that claims for services and inpatient procedures provided before the compliance date must use ICD-9 codes.
13. Is Medi-Cal policy going to change with ICD-10?
    Medi-Cal will be updating the provider manuals to account for the change to ICD-10 in 2014. However, due to the size of the ICD-10 code set and limitations in the legacy MMIS policy will not change.
14. Will Medi-Cal accept claims with both ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes on the same claim form?
    No. Medi-Cal will accept claim forms containing only ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes.
15. If I transition early to ICD-10, will Medi-Cal be able to process my claims?
    The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has mandated that all HIPAA-covered entities will transition to the use of ICD-10 on October 1, 2014, and early or late transitions will not be allowed. Medi-Cal will not be able to process claims using ICD-10 until October 1, 2014.
16. Are paper claims affected by the transition to ICD-10?
    Yes. All claim transactions, whether paper or electronic, except dental claims, will be required to be submitted using ICD-10 codes. 
17. What type of training will providers and staff need for the ICD-10 transition?
    Medi-Cal will be providing education about the use of ICD-10 for submitting claims to Medi-Cal. Providers are encouraged to visit the Medi-Cal website regularly throughout the course of the transition to access the latest information about education opportunities.

    In addition, ICD-10 resources and training materials may be available through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), many professional associations and societies, and software/system vendors.
18. Where can I get additional information about ICD-10?
    More information about ICD-10 is available on the ICD-10 page of the CMS website.

    
    

    Providers may also submit ICD-10-related questions to the ICD-10 mailbox at ICD-10Medi-Cal@xerox.com.

    This article courtesy of: Medi-Cal http://files.medi-cal.ca.gov/pubsdoco/hipaa/hipaa_icd10_faqs.asp

 

READ MORE - ICD-10 FAQ's and Medi-Cal (California Medi-Caid)

ICD-10 DEADLINE OCT 1, 2014

The ICD-10 Transition: An Introduction

The ICD-9 code sets used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures will be replaced by ICD-10 code sets. This fact sheet provides background on the ICD-10 transition, general guidance on how to prepare for it, and resources for more information.

About ICD-10

ICD-10-CM/PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinical Modification /Procedure Coding System) consists of two parts:

 

1. ICD-10-CM for diagnosis coding

 

2. ICD-10-PCS for inpatient procedure coding

ICD-10-CM is for use in all U.S. health care settings. Diagnosis coding under ICD-10-CM uses 3 to 7 digits instead of the 3 to 5 digits used with ICD-9-CM, but the format of the code sets is similar.

 

ICD-10-PCS is for use in U.S. inpatient hospital settings only. ICD-10­ PCS uses 7 alphanumeric digits instead of the 3 or 4 numeric digits used under ICD-9-CM procedure coding. Coding under ICD-10-PCS is much more specific and substantially different from ICD-9-CM procedure coding.

 

The transition to ICD-10 is occurring because ICD-9 produces limited data about patients’ medical conditions and hospital inpatient procedures. ICD-9 is 30 years old, has outdated terms, and is inconsistent with current medical practice. Also, the structure of ICD-9 limits the number of new codes that can be created, and many ICD-9 categories are full.

 

Who Needs to Transition

ICD-10 will affect diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding for everyone covered by Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), not just those who submit Medicare or Medicaid claims. The change to ICD-10 does not affect CPT coding for  outpatient procedures.

 

Health care providers, payers, clearinghouses, and billing services must be prepared to comply with the transition to ICD-10, which means:

• All electronic transactions must use Version 5010 standards, which have been required since January 1, 2012. Unlike the older Version 4010/4010A standards, Version 5010 accommodates ICD-10 codes.
• ICD-10 diagnosis codes must be used for all health care services provided in the U.S., and ICD-10 procedure codes must be used for all hospital inpatient procedures. Claims with ICD-9 codes for services provided on or after the compliance deadline cannot be paid.

 

Transitioning to ICD-10

It is important to prepare now for the ICD-10 transition. The following are steps you can take to get started:

 

• Providers – Develop an implementation strategy that includes an assessment of the impact on your organization, a detailed timeline, and budget. Check with your billing service, clearinghouse, or practice management software vendor about their compliance plans. Providers who handle billing and software development internally should plan for medical records/coding, clinical, IT, and finance staff to coordinate on ICD-10 transition efforts.
• Payers – Review payment policies since the transition to ICD-10 will involve new coding rules. Ask your software vendors about their readiness plans and timelines for product development, testing, availability, and training for ICD-10. You should have an implementation plan and transition budget in place.
• Software vendors, clearinghouses, and third-party billing services – Work with customers to install and test ICD-10 ready products. Take a proactive role in assisting with the transition so your customers can get their claims paid. Products and services will be obsolete if steps are not taken to prepare. 

 http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/index.html

  

READ MORE - ICD-10 DEADLINE OCT 1, 2014