Archive for the ‘AAPC News’ Category

SALT LAKE CITY—Oct. 20, 2009—The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC, www.aapc.com) has released its ICD-10-CM online code conversion tool, which is now available online at www.aapc.com/icd-10/codes. This valuable tool allows users to convert (or “map”) ICD-9-CM codes to ICD-10-CM codes (and vice versa) based on the General Equivalency Mapping (GEM) files published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The tool is free and available to the general public with no access code or password required. Developed by the AAPC, this tool is expected to be a huge resource to medical coders and health care professionals as they begin to transition to the new ICD-10 system. Read more »

Nearly 700 attendees join the AAPC in Norfolk, Va., for two-day event

NORFOLK, Va.—Oct. 12, 2009—The American Academy of Professional Coders’ (AAPC) Regional Conference last weekend drew the largest number of attendees ever in the history of regional conferences, with nearly 700 medical coders and health care professionals attending the two-day continuing education event, Oct. 8-10. The conference boasted more than 20 educational breakout sessions, covering topics such as Medicare research tips and traps, understanding fraud and ICD-9-CM updates for 2010.

“One conference, 700 attendees and almost 20 exhibitors all in one place—this conference was a complete success and exceeded our expectations,” said Reed Pew, AAPC President and CEO. “We first began hosting regional conferences two years ago, and with the response we received this weekend in Norfolk, we look forward to hosting future regional conferences.”

Pew kicked off the conference Friday morning, discussing the AAPC’s plans for 2010 and its growth rate. The AAPC’s membership drive is in full swing, aiming to reach 100,000 members by the end of 2010. Additionally, Pew announced two new specialty credentials in Hematology/Oncology and Podiatry, as well as a new core credential, the Certified Professional Medical Auditor credential (CPMA). Pew also spoke about the AAPC’s efforts in the successful delay of the final implementation date for ICD-10.

AAPC Vice President of Strategic Development, Deborah Grider, presented a general session on beginning preparation now for ICD-10. The session discussed preparation of implementation and analysis of ICD-10 for physician practices, hospital departments and health plans—small or large. The AAPC will offer on-site ICD-10 training for both providers and health plans beginning in 2010.

The AAPC will host its 2010 National Conference June 6-9 in Nashville, Tenn., and its 2010 Regional Conference Oct. 7-9 in Springfield, Mass.

Certification Protects Members from Recession

RECOGNIZED AS PROFESSIONALS, CODERS WEATHER ECONOMIC STORM

By Brad Ericson, CPC, COSC, and Jennifer Rothlisberger

View the entire 2009 Medical Coding Salary Survey.pdf

Credentialed coders prove recession-proof in this year’s AAPC Salary Survey, which shows your salaries rose 4 percent to an average of $44,750. And even non-certified coders benefited from their affiliation with AAPC, with a 2 percent average salary gain to $37,290.

And this, mind you, in the midst of bank failures, foreclosures, layoffs, and a housing bust.

“It appears certified coders are more recession proof than others, that multiple specialty credentials improve your career, and that education, of course, adds to that benefit,” Reed Pew, AAPC president/CEO, told Coding Edge. The type of credential makes a difference, too, when paired with work venue. Those who work in the insurance industry or facilities are naturally more likely to make more than those in a smaller physician practices. But the results of this and another study are encouraging not only for those who are certified but for all those who are AAPC members. Read more »

TO: Members of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee
FROM: The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
RE: AAPC’s position regarding suspension of code changes prior to and following implementation of ICD-10-CM and -PCS

The American Academy of Professional Coders does not support the freezing of changes to ICD-9-CM prior to the Oct. 1, 2013 implementation of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. Because changes to other coding systems, specifically CPT and HCPCS Level II, will be required regardless of any change in ICD-9-CM code change scheduling, AAPC can see no benefit to freezing ICD-9-CM. And because medical science is continually evolving, AAPC believes any freeze of updates to diagnostic coding affects reporting accuracy and should be limited.

AAPC supports a freeze in changes to ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. Because all users will be setting up entirely new systems to accommodate ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS in the year(s) prior to implementation, AAPC supports a freeze on changes to the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets beginning Oct. 1, 2012 (one year prior to implementation) and continuing until Oct. 1, 2014 (one year following implementation). This will provide a 24-month hiatus from any changes to the new system, which will ease the burden of adoption for all participants.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on this very important topic. AAPC will be in attendance to the Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting September 16 and 17 in Baltimore.

By Angela “Annie” Boynton RHIT, CPC, CCS, CPC-H, CCS-P, CPC-P, CPC-I

At this point, many are aware of the impending upgrades to ICD-10 and 5010/D.0/3.0.  Much has been touted about the costs.  It seems that the majority of health care leaders ask “How can we afford to implement ICD-10?” It’s a valid question especially when nationwide estimates are as high as $8 billion dollars to implement ICD-10.  Over the past few years many studies have been done that focus on the cost of implementation.  RAND Corporation, the Nolan Corporation and Price Waterhouse Coopers have all studied the fiscal impact of ICD-10 implementation. Read more »

Does the thought of all the planning and analysis that must be accomplished prior to ICD-10 implementation cause you to slump into a major depressive state?   Has it only occurred once or does the condition reoccur frequently?  Is it mild, moderate or severe?  Do you have psychotic symptoms, and if yes, what are they?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone.  ICD-10 implementation will be challenging, but we can turn it into a positive and have fun with it as well.  Let’s look at coding this scenario using ICD-10-CM. Read more »

By Julia Croly, CPC, CPC-P

With ICD-10-CM/PCS on the horizon, health plans will need to review their policies and procedures that work behind the scenes to administer benefits and adjudicate claims.  Does your health plan deny claims for pre-existing conditions?  Who in your health plan is responsible for the maintenance of the pre-existing list of conditions and their ICD-9-CM code(s)?

Let’s step back and look at what “pre-existing” is and what it means to members and health plans.

Read more »

By Rhonda Buckholtz

Ongoing changes in the implementation of ICD-10 require taking a closer look at Internal Systems to ensure the organization has the capability to move forward with implementation.  Does your organization have enough hard drive space to house two codes sets (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM) simultaneously for a period of time before and after implementation?

The organization must orient information systems technology (IT) personnel as to the specifications necessary for the code sets for successful transition. Read more »

With the new coding year quickly approaching, practices and facilities must be prepared with coding changes and updates to avoid costly errors on claims. The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC, www.aapc.com) is offering a distance learning training series for the complete 2010 coding updates. The training series includes a three-part Webinar and a CD and eManual for each of the three components of the series, shipped as new code sets are released.

The 2010 coding updates covered in this workshop include:

• ICD-9-CM (Shipped in September; 2 CEUs)
• CPT (Shipped in November; 3 CEUs)
• HCPCS Level II (Shipped in December; 1 CEU)

“This workshop is a must-have for all coders to be compliant with the 2010 coding updates—learning which new, deleted and revised codes will affect coding and reimbursement,” said Sheri Poe Bernard, vice president, clinical coding content at the AAPC. “Having the updates available as a distance learning series allow practices and facilities to be prepared for the new year by receiving the new codes as they are released, rather than waiting until December to attend a live workshop.”

Participants can earn up to six CEUs from this three-part series. The update series is available now for purchase online at the AAPC’s Web site (http://www.aapc.com/education/2010-medical-coding-updates.aspx), or by calling 800-626-CODE (2633).