Help decode ICD-10 for prompt reimbursement

Despite warnings of calamities, implementation of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 on October 1, 2015, proceeded smoothly, with minimal impact on denied claims. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the percentage of Medicare claims denied was 10%, comparable to the preimplementation figure of 9.9%. But that doesn’t mean OR leaders should forget about coding; doing so translates into lost opportunities for enhancing revenue and tapping into a rich source of data. The number of codes is now more than 141,000, and several thousand more will be added in October 2016.