ICD 10 Coding Alert

Hint: Pay attention to the site of involvement.Practices seeing patients with orthopedic conditions may have the toughest challenges, when it comes to ICD-10-CM. The reason is that when you're coding for ligament disorders, palmar fascia contracture, foreign body granulomas, and muscle spasm, your ICD-10 code choices will expand substantially. Follow these practical training steps to learn about how to handle -- and when to not worry too much about -- coding common connective tissue conditions. Step 1: Get Clinical Staff Used to More SpecificsTo prep doctors for this level of detail, start training now. "Before the ICD-10 implementation date, coders will need to educate their physicians on the need for a much higher degree of specificity in their diagnostic statements," says Heidi Stout, BA, CPC, COSC, PCS, CCS-P, Coder on Call, Inc., Milltown, New Jersey and orthopedic coding division director, The Coding Network, LLC, Beverly Hills, CA.Step 2: Identify Discrete Codes for [...]