Surgery News - October 2008 - (Page 14)

14 PRACTICE TRENDS SURGERY NEWS • O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 Code Switch ICD-10 • from page 1 The ICD-9-CM also fails to provide adequate clinical details, according to CMS. For example, the ICD-9-CM has a single procedure code that describes endovascular repair or occlusion of the head and neck vessels. But the code leaves out details such as a description of the artery or vein on which the repair was performed, the precise nature of the repair, or whether it was a percutaneous procedure or was transluminal with a catheter. “Because of the new and changing med- ical advancements during the past 20-plus years, the functionality of the ICD-9-CM code set has been exhausted,” CMS officials wrote in the proposed regulation. “This code set is no longer able to respond to additional classification specificity, newly identified disease entities, and other advances.” CMS also is urging a switch to the ICD10 code sets in an effort to keep in step with other countries. As of October 2002, 99 countries had adopted ICD-10 or a clinical modification for coding and reporting morbidity data. And CMS contends that because it continues to use ICD-9-CM it has problems identifying emerging recent global health threats such as anthrax, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and monkeypox. Under the proposal, physicians, hospitals, health plans, and other covered health care entities would be required to use the ICD-10-CM for reporting diagnoses and the ICD-10-PCS for reporting procedures. The ICD-10 code sets offer about 155,000 codes across the two sets, compared with about 17,000 for diagnosis and procedure codes within the ICD-9-CM. In addition to size, the ICD-10 code sets also provide greater specificity, such as being able to reflect the side of the body that is related to the diagnosis or proce- NOW AVAILABLE The American College of Surgeons ATLS Program was developed to teach doctors one safe, reliable method for assessing and initially managing the trauma patient. The course teaches an organized approach for evaluation and management of seriously injured patients and offers a foundation of common knowledge for all members of the trauma team. The emphasis is on the critical “ﬁrst hour” of care, focusing on initial assessment, lifesaving intervention, reevaluation, stabilization, and, when needed, transfer to a trauma center. The 8th edition has been redesigned for readability and to improve comprehension and retention of knowledge. It features new, up-to-date technical content and references and includes a DVD with skills from the course demonstrated in video segments. Price: $100 each. dure. The more detailed information available through the ICD-10 codes also will aid in the implementation of electronic health records and transmission of data for biosurveillance or pay-for-performance programs, according to CMS. But physician groups say CMS is asking physicians and other health care providers to do too much too fast. The American Medical Association balked at the idea of implementation of both the updated X12 Version 5010 electronic transaction standard and the ICD10 coding system in just 3 years. The X12 Version 5010 standard should first be pilot tested before physicians and others are asked to implement it, AMA said. “This is a massive administrative undertaking for physicians and must be implemented in a time frame that allows for physician education, software vendor updates, coder training, and testing with payers—steps that cannot be rushed and are needed for a smooth transition,” Dr. Joseph Heyman, AMA board chair, said in a statement. The Medical Group Management Association also objected. While MGMA supports the switch to the ICD-10 code sets, they said that 3 years is not enough time for the industry to implement the new system. Instead of a simultaneous implementation of the X12 Version 5010 standard and the ICD-10 code sets, MGMA is asking CMS to wait at least 3 years after the switch to X12 Version 5010 before implementing the ICD-10. The switch to ICD-10 needs to be done separately because it will require significant changes from medical groups, according to MGMA. Recent MGMA research indicates that most medical practices will have to purchase software upgrades for their practice management systems or buy all new software in order to implement the transition to ICD-10. “Moving to these new code sets has the potential to be the most complex change for the U.S. health care system in decades,” Dr. William F. Jessee, president and CEO of MGMA, said in a statement. ■ ews More N t a is jus ay! w click a To obtain an ATLS for Doctors Student Course Manual, visit the American College of Surgeons online publication catalog at See the Exclusive Online Edition at www.facs.org Go to Periodicals, then Surgery News to learn about recent developments in surgical procedures. https://web2.facs.org/timssnet464/acspub/frontpage.cfm?product_class=trauma https://web2.facs.org/timssnet464/acspub/frontpage.cfm?product_class=trauma http://www.facs.org https://web2.facs.org/timssnet464/acspub/frontpage.cfm?product_class=trauma

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Surgery News - October 2008

Surgery News - October 2008 Contents Call to Action Issued to Support DVT, PE Prevention Protocol Changes May Increase Donor Organs CMS Targets 2011 for Switch to ICD-10 Opinion: Election 2008 The 20/20 Vision: Children's Health News From the College: Survival Strategy General Surgery: Innovations

Surgery News - October 2008

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