The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a series of question-and-answer conference calls in November, including one for DME suppliers seeking additional information on the new ICD-10-CM codes.
The conference call for Part A and Part B providers regarding ICD-10-CM codes is Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. CMS is also hosting similar calls for hospital staff and physicians on different dates.
CMS says the presentations “will include the major impacts providers should consider when planning to update any systems with ICD-10 codes. Issues such as differences in code length, alpha-numeric characters and increased details captured by the codes will be explained.”
The calls will be presented by CMS and other Cooperating Parties for ICD-9-CM, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the American Hospital Association.
At press time, registration details were still to be announced. A PowerPoint presentation is posted on the ICD-10 Web page at www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD10/ and can be downloaded prior to the conference call. Seminar participants are encouraged to download the presentation and follow along as the conference call takes place.
Current ICD-9-CM (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Clinical Modifications) codes are specific medical diagnosis codes used by a range of medical personnel throughout health-care systems to refer to conditions or injuries such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or paraplegia.
In August, the Department of Health & Human Services announced it plans to implement new ICD-10 codes in October 2011. CMS said the current ICD-9 code sets are “outdated, with only a limited ability to accommodate new procedures and diagnoses” and “will eventually run out of space, particularly for procedure codes.”
The proposed ICD-10 code sets will reportedly allow for more specificity and detail, would help CMS more readily detect program abuse, and would “ensure more accurate payments for new procedures, fewer rejected claims, improved disease management, and harmonization of disease monitoring and reporting worldwide.” CMS says the new code sets will enable the United States to more easily compare its health-care information and outcomes to international statistics, because most other countries are already using ICD-10 code sets.
CMS accepted comments to the ICD-10 proposed rule through Oct. 21, 2008.
