With the Oct. 1, 2015, deadline looming for the switch from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM diagnostic coding, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published guidance earlier this month about the impending change.
Among the highlights:
- Medicare claims for services provided on or after Oct. 1 must use ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes; claims with ICD-9-CM codes will be rejected. However, Medicare contractors will not deny claims based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10-CM code chosen. The claim must contain a valid ICD-10-CM code from the “right family” of codes related to the service provided.
- CMS is setting up a “communications and collaboration center” for monitoring and resolving issues that arise during the switch to ICD-10. As the Oct. 1 compliance date nears, the agency will inform providers about how to submit issues to a designated “ICD-10 ombudsman.”
As part of its recent guidance, CMS published a set of questions and answers about getting ready for ICD-10.
Additional guidance for APA Practice Organization members is available in the “Are You Ready for ICD-10-CM? (PDF, 371KB)” article in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of Good Practice magazine.