Implementation of ICD-10 is less than two months away, and it’s imperative that everyone on your team is prepared and ready to go. To help you streamline the process, the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives has answered a few of the more common questions submitted to ICD10@aao.org and highlighted the many AAOE tools at your disposal.
How should I start educating my staff about ICD-10?
The best place to start is with the e-learning course 90 Minutes to Conquering ICD-10 for Ophthalmology. Our ICD-10 physician champion and AAOE board member Raj Rathod, MD, narrates the course. It will benefit all staff members, including physicians, to review ICD-10 fundamentals and their impact on ophthalmology.
The ICD-10-CM for Ophthalmology book is another important guide. This text was written by ophthalmologist Gordon Johns, MD, and continues to be the only medical specialty-specific ICD-10 book created to date. Set up similar to the ICD-9 version, ICD-10-CM for Ophthalmology provides an alphabetical index, where you can search by term, plus a tabular list where you confirm any other nuances that may affect the code selection, e.g., an Excludes1 note or an additional character requirement.
How can I best create my superbill? There are too many codes to fit everything on one page.
Run a diagnostic productivity report to see exactly which diagnoses are being reported. Many of the diagnoses on current superbills may not be used frequently. Next, use the ICD-10 for Ophthalmology Online Subscription to create the actual superbill. This tool lets you input your ICD-9 diagnoses and links the ICD-10 codes that match up appropriately.
Through this process, you may find that you are incorrectly defining an ICD-9 code for a condition. The online subscription will also alert you to any nuances of the ICD-10 codes and provides a note field that you can populate.
In addition, AAOE has created quick reference guides for subspecialties with the most commonly used diagnoses, including the Diabetes Physician Decision Tree. These guides are easy to print out and can be placed in lanes as well as your billing department.
We are also compiling superbills and transition tips from ICD-10 conquering heroes – physicians, administrators and coders who’ve provided information from which other practices can learn.
What other resources are available in preparation for ICD-10?
The Academy and AAOE also are offering many webinars for your benefit. Two courses — Everything You Need to Know About Coding ICD-10 for Retina in 60 Minutes and Test Your ICD-10 Coding Competency are available as recordings. In September, Dr. Johns will offer another webinar that highlights more complex cases.
AAOE will continually update the ICD-10 Web page as the Oct. 1 implementation date approaches. Be sure to check out the checklist for ICD-10 transition, which offers a step-by-step guide to getting ready. The AAOE coding blog also includes an ICD-10 questions section, which includes important information for all subspecialties.
* * *
About the authors: Sue Vicchrilli, COT, OCS, is the Academy’s director of coding and reimbursement and the author of EyeNet’s “Savvy Coder” column and AAOE’s Coding Bulletin, Ophthalmic Coding Coach and Ophthalmic Coding series. Jenny Edgar, CPC, CPCO, OCS, is the Academy’s coding specialist. She oversees the Academy’s Chart Auditing Service and is also a contributing author to the Ophthalmic Coding Coach and Ophthalmic Coding series.