The American Health Information Management Association expressed disappointment with the AMA's House of Delegates' choice to oppose ICD-10-CM implementation, scheduled for completion in Oct. 2013, according to an AHIMA release.
AHIMA Director of Coding Policy and Compliance Sue Bowman, RHIA, CCS, said that AHIMA has demonstrated several times that administrative systems can be easily implemented for most primary practices, and that specialty practices will only be using a small number of the new codes. Ms. Bowman was responding to the AMA's concern that the increase in codes associated with ICD-10-CM would negatively impact physicians.
Ms. Bowman also responded to recent reports slamming the classification system for codes that indicated the source of a disease or medical complication. She said the system is detailed when detail is necessary, and medical practice staff will have to work harder if the more detailed codes are not used when the physician is asked for additional information after claim submission.
Ms. Bowman also stated that if the ICD-10 system had been implemented in the late 1990s, the problems created by constant delay would not be experienced today. She said the U.S. system has essentially run out of codes and cannot accurately express current medical knowledge with the ICD-9 system.
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AHIMA Director of Coding Policy and Compliance Sue Bowman, RHIA, CCS, said that AHIMA has demonstrated several times that administrative systems can be easily implemented for most primary practices, and that specialty practices will only be using a small number of the new codes. Ms. Bowman was responding to the AMA's concern that the increase in codes associated with ICD-10-CM would negatively impact physicians.
Ms. Bowman also responded to recent reports slamming the classification system for codes that indicated the source of a disease or medical complication. She said the system is detailed when detail is necessary, and medical practice staff will have to work harder if the more detailed codes are not used when the physician is asked for additional information after claim submission.
Ms. Bowman also stated that if the ICD-10 system had been implemented in the late 1990s, the problems created by constant delay would not be experienced today. She said the U.S. system has essentially run out of codes and cannot accurately express current medical knowledge with the ICD-9 system.
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