Get Ready for ICD-10-CM by Correctly Using ICD-9-CM

Your Expert Presenter:
Jo Ann Steigerwald, RHIT, ACS-GI, ACS-OH Jo Ann is a coding veteran with 25+ years of experience as a consultant and trainer in medical coding, billing and documentation. As a consultant with Medical Business Specialists, Baraboo, Wis., Jo Ann provides onsite, custom training and consulting services on coding, documentation, fraud and abuse, compliance and medical records management. She previously worked for both state and regional medical associations developing and providing consulting on reimbursement, collections and records management. Jo Ann serves on the Advisory Board to the Board of Medical Specialty Coding, is technical advisor to the Coder’s Pink Sheets and is a frequent national speaker on a variety of coding/billing topics.
Who Should Attend
This conference benefits a wide variety of health care professionals. Billing & coding staff Practice administrators & executives Front office staff Compliance officers Consultants There is no limit to the number of staff from your office who can participate. One registration fee lets your entire staff listen in via speakerphone! Save money — no travel expenses!

Even if ICD-10-CM isn’t implemented for years, we’re moving closer and closer to it every day in ICD-9-CM. Fact: Many of the changes to ICD-9-CM codes in the past few years reflect the greater specificity inherent in ICD-10-CM. And that is essential NOW in your bid to demonstrate medical necessity to your payers.

Diagnosis code specificity is one of the prime keys you can use to earn dollars in Medicare’s fast-approaching pay-for-performance program, for instance. Take this opportunity to find out how you can use ICD-10-CM to strengthen your ICD-9-CM skills.

Don’t be overwhelmed … you’re already using ICD-10-CM more than you know! Let veteran diagnosis coding consultant Jo Ann Steigerwald, RHIT, ACS-OH, ACS-GI, Medical Business Specialists, Baraboo, Wis., show you how correct use of the current ICD-9-CM codes that puts you on the fast-track to ICD-10-CM. For example:

Consider how you’d code a diabetic ulcer. Under the current ICD-9-CM conventions, you’d need to turn to 250.8 plus an additional 707.xx code for the ulcer “manifestation.” The same concept applies in ICD-10-CM; the codes just include more specific descriptors. Goal: Work with providers now to ease the documentation transition.
Look at the ICD-10-CM codes for pregnancy. They’re separated by trimester, as well as antenatal and postnatal. Get your providers in the habit of documenting these facts now … and it can help increase specificity in your ICD-9-CM coding!
Note the many conditions that will be coded much as they already are in ICD-9-CM. Take mumps as an example. Mumps orchitis takes 072.0 in ICD-9-CM; it simply changes to B26.0 in
ICD-10-CM.

It’s inevitable: The current ICD-9-CM diagnosis coding system eventually will transition to ICD-10-CM, featuring 120,000 6-digit alpha-numeric codes. The key to a smooth transition is preparation. Steigerwald provides preparation pointers so you’ll know what to do now towards keeping ahead of the
ICD-10-CM curve … and hone your ICD-9-CM skills in the process!

To find out about upcoming conferences and for a complete listing of CDs, please visit www.decisionhealth.com.

One registration fee lets your entire staff listen in! Save money - no travel expenses!