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No.
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Myths
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Facts
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1
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Many medical coding specialists believe that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would provide extra time for the ICD-10 transition once the compliance deadline is met.
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The fact is that claims processed using the ICD-9 code set will not get paid after October 1, 2014, as HHS has no intention to extend the compliance date.
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2
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The ICD-10 transition is subject to only HIPAA-covered healthcare entities, so state Medicaid programs need not worry about the ICD-10 medical coding implementation.
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State Medicaid programs are also expected to implement the ICD-10-CM code sets.
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3
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Entities like Worker’s Compensation, Liability, PIP and Auto Insurance Companies are not covered by HIPAA. Therefore, they need not use ICD-10 codes.
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It is advisable that they also prepare for the ICD-10 medical coding transition because ICD-9-CM is outdated and will no longer be in use.
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4
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An inclusion of over 200,000 codes will complicate the new coding system.
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In reality, the ICD-10 medical coding system will be more user-friendly than imagined. It is incorporated with advanced electronic coding tools and alphabetic index to help medical coding specialists fetch the right code within minutes.
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5
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All coding processes can be performed only by electronic means.
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Coding processes can also be carried out using ICD-10-CM code books, which are already available in the market.
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6
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ICD-10-CM was built using the clinical input provided only by administrators and accountants.
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Several healthcare Professionals, medical coding specialists, and medical specialty societies have contributed much to the development of the ICD-10 code sets.
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7
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ICD-10-CM is outdated as it was developed many years ago.
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In the past, the ICD-9-CM system was updated with new codes periodically however it will not be the case anymore. From October 1, 2014, the new ICD-10-CM coding system will take effect and will be again updated periodically.
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8
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Superbills based on the ICD-10 coding system will be convoluted and too long.
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They will not be more complex than ICD-9-CM. However, the superbill conversion process involving the removal of rarely used codes and common code cross-walking should be done.
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9
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Coding medical records is done using GEMs (General Equivalence Mappings).
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The process is carried out using code books.
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10
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GEMs can be used only by Medicare, while other Payers develop their own mappings.
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They can be used free of cost by all Providers, Payers and data users.
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