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BOWMAN, CLELAND, AND STAGGS
sist with proper code selection, thereby, improving coding
accuracy and compliance with payment policies, increasing
administrative effıciencies, and reducing manual labor involved
in the coding process. For all of these reasons, coding
productivity is expected to improve over time, once the
learning curve to become familiar with the new codes has
ended. In fact, computer-assisted coding technology may increase
coder productivity by as much as 30% to 50%. 8
LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE CLINICAL
DOCUMENTATION
The transition to ICD-10 presents opportunities for innovations
in improving the quality of clinical documentation
while minimizing the burden of documentation capture on
clinicians. For example, technology can be leveraged to facilitate
documentation capture at the point of care (such as the
use of prompts or templates in EHRs). Mobile devices can be
used to provide physicians with customized lists of documentation
tips.
High-quality documentation is increasingly in demand to
support many emerging health care initiatives aimed at improving
care and reducing costs. Growing demands for more
detailed diagnostic data generated from medical record documentation
led to the inclusion of the expanded detail and
specifıcity in ICD-10. Since precise medical record documentation
is critical to support ICD-10 codes, the transition to
ICD-10 can help to achieve high-quality documentation by
advancing documentation assessment and improvement efforts.
Ensuring high-quality documentation and thorough
coder preparation minimizes the adverse effects of the ICD-10
transition on coding accuracy and productivity, which in turn
reduces the potential for rejected claims and payment errors.
BENEFITS OF ICD-10 PREPARATION IN ADVANCE OF
TRANSITION
Many ICD-10 preparation activities can provide value in advance
of the transition to ICD-10. Clinical documentation is
necessary for supporting many health care initiatives, including
improving the quality of care, lowering health care costs, measuring
mortality risk and severity of illness, analyzing readmission
rates, and meeting meaningful use requirements. Also,
high-quality documentation will help improve today’s ICD-
9-CM coding accuracy. Accurate and complete documentation
is important for good patient care regardless of the code set in use.
ICD-10 education has been shown to improve ICD-9-CM coding
accuracy,asbasiccodingprinciplesarereinforcedandfoundational
knowledge in biomedical sciences is strengthened. 6
Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest
Relationships are considered self-held and compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships marked “L” indicate leadership positions. Relationships marked “I” are those held by an immediate
family member; those marked “B” are held by the author and an immediate family member. Institutional relationships are marked “Inst.” Relationships marked “U” are uncompensated.
Employment: Stuart Staggs, McKesson Specialty Health. Leadership Position: None. Stock or Other Ownership Interests: Stuart Staggs, McKesson.
Honoraria: Risë M. Cleland, Lilly Oncology. Consulting or Advisory Role: None. Speakers’ Bureau: Risë M. Cleland, Genentech, Merck, Novartis. Research
Funding: None. Patents, Royalties, or Other Intellectual Property: None. Expert Testimony: None. Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Stuart Staggs,
McKesson. Other Relationships: None.
References
1. World Health Organization. International Classifıcation of Diseases
(ICD) Information Sheet 2015. http://www.who.int/classifıcations/icd/
factsheet/en/. Accessed January 2015.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. International Classifıcation
of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/
nchs/icd/icd9.htm. Accessed January 12, 2015.
3. Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, Pub. L. No. 113-193.
2014. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4302/text. Accessed
January 2015.
4. Hearings Before the Standards Subcommittee of National Committee
on Vital and Health Statistics (June 2014) (testimony of Susan Bowman,
MJ, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA on behalf of the American Health Information
Management Association).
5. Nichols JC. ICD-10: Advantages to Providers. Looking beyond the isolated patient
provider encounter. http://www.legacyhealth.org//media/Files/PDF/
Health%20Professionals/ICD_10/ICD10Advantages012812.pdf. Accessed
March 5, 2015.
6. Bloomrosen, M, Bowman S, Zender, A. Achieving ICD-10-CM/PCS Compliance
in 2015: Staying the Course for Better Healthcare—A Report from
the AHIMA 2014 ICD-10/CAC Coding Summit. http://perspectives.
ahima.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/AchievingICD10CMCPS
Compliancein2015.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2015.
7. Mitchell G. Synergizing ICD-10. J AHIMA. 2013;84:34-38.
8. Scott K. Leveraging CAC to prepare for ICD-10-CM/PCS. J AHIMA.
2013;84:62-64.
9. Nachimson Advisors, LLC. The cost of Implementing ICD-10 for Physician
Practices–Updating the 2008 Nachimson Advisors Study: A Report
to the American Medical Association. February 2014. http://
docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF14/20150211/102940/HHRG-114-
IF14-Wstate-TerryW-20150211-SD001.pdf. Accessed on April 7, 2015.
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