Practice Management Alert

Question: We are getting ready to start billing with the ICD-10 codes but have heard practices are getting denials. Should we be sending claims differently if we are starting to use ICD-10?North Carolina SubscriberAnswer: You should not be billing with ICD-10 yet. The ICD-10 implementation is set for Oct. 1, 2013 and you should not be submitting claims to your payers using ICD-10 codes until then.  The standard for diagnostic coding for services now through Sept. 30, 2013 is ICD-9.  Payers will not accept any other codes.  Then, on Oct. 1, 2013, the standard will become ICD-10.Get ready: To prepare for ICD-10, you can shadow code your current claims to see if the documentation is sufficient to code for ICD-10 and to test your practice's ability to properly code using ICD-10. Keep in mind: On Oct. 1, 2013, if you are submitting a claim for a service in September 2013, you will [...]