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and other compliance support. There are also plenty of expert con-
sultants available online, if you need more personalized help.
Form partnerships
Consider teaming up with another facility similar to yours, or
one that is a little farther along in the process, to make implementa-
tion easier. Sharing information, challenges and advice is important
right now, and these partnerships could prove advantageous after the
October conversion deadline as well. For example, you can coordi-
nate a training program for staff, or advise each other on how to tack-
le a common problem.
Don't forget lucky No. 7
One of the biggest differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10 is the
7
th
character. ICD-10's 7
th
character provides information on the
physician encounter — whether it's an initial or follow-up treatment
— not previously included in the old coding system. This is especially
crucial for orthopedic surgeons.
Additionally, codes with fewer than 6 characters will need to use the
placeholder "X" when that 7
th
character is required. Refresh staff and
doctors on how to use the 7
th
character. You can find more details in
"Chapter 19: Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of
External Causes" in the ICD-10 Tabular List of Codes, a handy 1,593-
page PDF you can download at osmag.net/C5ouST.
Document the essentials
ICD-10 requires more specificity than ICD-9. Stress to staff and
physicians the importance of capturing the following information
about each case, where applicable:
• detailed anatomical site information
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C O D I N G & B I L L I N G
