Radiology Coding Alert

Wrap your brain around using letters in your diagnosis codes. If you aren't curious about how the ICD-9 codes in "Add 2 More ICD-9 Weapons to Your Diagnostic Test Arsenal" crosswalk to ICD-10, maybe you should be. "The transition date for ICD-10 codes is Oct 1, 2013," stressed CMS's Stewart Streimer during a CMS-sponsored Open Door Forum. "That's really the drop-dead date for those of you that have familiarized yourselves with the Final Rule regarding ICD-10 ... but there are a lot of things that must happen before then, and I expect many of the payers may even require ICD-10 codes before then so a sufficient amount of testing can take place," he said. Choosing Vendors? Speak Up Today isn't too soon to start thinking about ICD-10, says Helen Avery, CPC-I, CHC, senior coding and revenue cycle consultant at Los Angeles-based Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting Inc. The more familiar you are [...]