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ICD-10 Provider Tools

On January 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the final rule mandating that everyone covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must implement the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis and procedure codes (ICD-10), for medical coding. Given the magnitude of the change, HHS, updated the final rule on August 24, 2012, which moves the ICD-10 compliance date from the initial proposed deadline of October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014.

On October 1, 2014, the ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes will expand from 18,000 unique codes to 140,000 unique codes in ICD-10. This transition to ICD-10 will give providers the language to accurately describe the severity of their patient's illnesses.

Preparing for ICD-10 can be overwhelming. However, St. Joseph Health is committed to equipping all providers with the necessary tools for successfully implementing ICD-10. The following pamphlet will give insight on when free ICD-10 training will be provided. Additional details around training will be released in the fall of 2013. Advanced planning and education are crucial to the successful implementation of ICD-10.

For providers that own and operate their practice, preparing starts now. By reviewing this toolkit, providers that have their own practice can 1) determine if they are preparing staff to accurately code, 2) confirm that vendors will accept ICD-10 codes, and 3) understand how payers will receive and reimburse claims submitted by the practice. With the ICD-10 compliance date less than two years away (October 1, 2014), it is important for providers to understand the impact on their office, workflows, and documentation. Do not delay in reviewing this toolkit. As each day goes by, it leaves less time to prepare.

The ICD-10 Tools are also available on the Policy & Procedure Tab on this Website.

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