ICD-9 CODING QUIZ: Upgrade Your Diagnosis Coding Skills Before the New ICD-9 Codes Hit   (September 7, 2009)

4 questions reveal whether you’re ready for the new dx codes.
October 1 is just around the corner, and that means you’ll soon need to be up and running with the latest  ICD- 9 changes. Are you wondering where you should focus your time and energy?
Time-saver: This quiz on the new codes will help you determine whether you’re on the right track, or if you need to work on your 2010 diagnosis coding know-how. Know Neuroendocrine [...]

ICD-9 2010: Prep Now for New 5th-Digit Thrombosis Diagnosis Options   (September 1, 2009)

Chronic or acute? You’ll need to know this autumn.
You’ll soon need to jump through more diagnosis coding hoops for patients with thrombosis, as ICD-9 2010 sports a host of new codes to more accurately represent the condition.
Arm yourself: Use this expert input on the new code subsets and you’ll have no trouble picking the correct thrombosis diagnosis when ICD-9 2010 becomes effective on Oct. 1.
Separate ?New’ From ?Old’ With 453.xx
Patients who report to the [...]

ICD-9 2010: Master New Poisoning Codes by Learning Antidepressant Types   (September 1, 2009)

Come Oct. 1, say goodbye to catch-all 969.0 code.
ICD-9 2010 contains several new additions to the poisoning by antidepressant code set.
Avoid tainting your claims with invalid diagnoses: check out this list of new poisoning diagnoses, which will take effect on Oct. 1.
ID Drug Type With 5th-Digit Options
Until Oct. 1, you should continue to code poisoning by any antidepressant with 969.0 (Poisoning by psychotropic agents; antidepressants); when ICD-9 2010 begins, however, this coding subset will explode [...]

Prepare for ICD-9 2010 V Code Changes   (September 29, 2009)

New V codes provide coders with greater levels of specificity.
The new codes for ICD-9 2010 will soon take effect. And, while not all changes will affect your internal medicine practice, there are some revisions that you should check out, primarily in the area of V codes.
In total, there are 32 new V codes that appear in ICD-9 2010. These new codes cover several areas, including personal history of disease and health supervision of newborns. Here [...]

Say Old Clot, Novel Flu, Halted Sedation Using ICD-9 Newbies   (September 7, 2009)

Chronic embolism, swine flu codes top the list of respiratory coding changes.
If you’ve struggled with how to indicate an existing clot, an H1N1 outbreak, or a sedation failure, ICD-9 2010 solves the puzzle.
Starting Oct. 1, new diagnosis codes for a chronic pulmonary artery clot, swine flu, and failed sedation procedures let you explain these situations. Here’s how to paint a more accurate picture to payers and when to use these ICD-9 additions.
Check If Pulmonary Embolism [...]