ICD-10 Electronic Solutions for Transitioning to ICD-10 ONLINE RESOURCES AND TOOLS HELP YOU ENSURE QUICK, ACCURATE ICD-10 CODING By Valerie Fernandez, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, AHIMA ICD-10 Trainer lthough ICD-10 has been delayed, it is still important to prepare for the transition. There are many electronic solutions available to assist you and your clients over the next year. The key is to find those tools that work best and to ensure that everyone is up-to-date on ICD-10 coding essentials. Many of the electronic solutions available are offered through reputable, longstanding organizations. For example, the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) has a translation tool available on its website, www.aapc.com. AAPC also offers a top-50 list of diagnosis codes by specialty as a basic guide for making the move to ICD-10. Precyse University (www.precyse.com) has a translation tool and a tool to assist providers with documentation tips. The former is free, and the latter costs $7.99. Both can be utilized on an iPhone or iPad. An example from the Precyse Documentation tool is shown below: SEPSIS • Detail the underlying systemic type or causal organism • Do not use the term urosepsis for sepsis, as it codes to UTI • Report circulatory failure and sepsis that are related as being septic shock • List the sepsis onset (e.g., at admission or during admission) • Severe sepsis must be listed as such, and show evidence of acute organ dysfunction • State the relationship between the acute organ dysfunction and sepsis ICD10Data.com is a well-known website that continues to provide coding information. Many people have used this website to find ICD- 9 codes and will continue to employ it to locate ICD-10 codes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs) files, which are utilized on many applications and practice management systems. CMS’s website (www.cms.gov) also provides a wealth of material in preparation for ICD-10. Currently, a series of free webinars focusing on the implementation is available. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) also offers expert educational material to assist with the transition. CODExpress, a crosswalk tool from Antidote Solutions (www.antidotesolutions. com), is being implemented at a specialty hospital in Manhattan and has also been endorsed by the Greater New York Hospital Association. As a translation tool, it is unique in that it offers the ability to save “favorites,” link staff to providers, and develop synonyms and acronyms to simplify searches. It also highlights unspecified codes that should be avoided, as those codes will compromise the ability for a provider to receive reimbursement, especially when a more definitive diagnosis code that offers specificity, granularity, and laterality is available. CODExpress is designed to ensure that both novices and experts can be successful when using it. The tool can be customized with specialty-specific mapping. It is cloud based and available in a TO GO app for iPads and iPhones following purchase for office or facility use. The importance of access to electronic solutions is evident when an organization has disparate systems with varying degrees of preparedness for ICD-10. These tools also assist smaller practices that must meet regulatory mandates but do not have a lot of money to invest in preparing for ICD-10. Ultimately, though, no matter what electronic solution is used, it is the quality of the coding and ancillary staff in applying the guidelines and coding requirements that will ensure success during the transition to ICD-10. We must all recognize that finding a code using the ICD-10 code book can be done very quickly by an expert coder. Whether a provider is participating with a carrier or has no contract, obtaining the accurate ICD-10 code is essential and must be identified swiftly so that claims are submitted timely and patients who are paying at the time of service have an accurate ICD-10 code to submit to their THE JOURNAL OF THE HEALTHCARE BILLING AND MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION 31 A
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