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Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Physician Notes:

Moving to ICD-10 Codes Could Cost More Than Y2K

Published on Wed Nov 12, 2003

A proposed new diagnostic coding system could cost healthcare providers as much as $14 billion - more than the industry paid to ready computer systems for the Year 2000 conversion.
 
That's the finding of a new study sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. It looked at the challenges, costs and benefits associated with replacing the current ICD-9 diagnostic and inpatient procedure codes system with a new ICD-10 system.
 
The study's authors say the $14 billion figure is a conservative estimate because they didn't include nursing homes, clinical labs, durable medical equipment vendors, and others unable to develop initial cost estimates.
 
For more details on the study's findings, go to http://onlinepressroom.net/bcbsa/.
 

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  •  Three Texas doctors learned the hard way to choose a billing service carefully. A federal judge sentenced Elaine Satyshur, owner of Physicians Medical Billing Service in Mesquite, Texas, to 27 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and embezzlement. She also has to pay nearly $460,000 to the doctors she ripped off using a post-office box to receive their reimbursement checks.

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