Diagnosis Coding in Denver and Nationwide: There's a New Sheriff in Town.

Diagnosis coding under ICD-10 rules is in full swing.  How is your practice faring? Payors promised to be lenient the first year of implementation.  After that, denials could increase if ICD-10 coding is not up to standards.

Growing pains were inevitable given the enormity of the change.  The health care industry moved from 17,000 to 141,000 diagnosis codes. Under ICD-9 coding, there was one code for angioplasty; in ICD-10 coding, there are approximately 854 codes. A single code for a badly healed fracture could now translate to as many as 2,595 different codes.

The projected cost to implement ICD-10 coding for a 3-provider practice was $83,000.  Don't add to that cost with claims denied due to incorrect coding.

With this level of complexity and so much at stake financially, constant vigilance is in order.

Coders need to have a full understanding of anatomy and physiology in order to understand the documentation and assign the correct codes. Are your coders certified by the American Academy of Professional Coders? Using an AAPC coder will greatly ensure successful coding and reimbursement for your practice.

Let our AAPC coding certification work for you.

To see if your documentation meets ICD-10 coding standards, take our ICD-10 assessment.  Or CLICK HERE and we can do the assessment for you, in Denver or anywhere nationwide.