Health Information Management

Tip: Training outpatient coders in ICD-10-PCS has benefits

APCs Insider, August 8, 2014

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Those who are interested in using ICD-10-PCS for outpatient hospital coding may question whether using it simultaneously with CPT® will decrease coder productivity.
 
While this may indeed cause some productivity reductions (in fact, most expect productivity reductions across all departments as teams begin to implement ICD-10), cross-training outpatient coders on the ICD-10-PCS coding process has a number of benefits, including:
  • Inter-coder reliability: Ensuring that both sides of the coding workforce maintain high-level skill sets needed for ICD-10 implementation
  • Management of coding schedules and interchangeability of coding staff: Fully educated coding and CDI teams make it easier to fill in during times of unexpected staffing shortages that many facilities expect come ICD-10 implementation
  • Full ICD-10 familiarity: Facilities will ensure cultivation of a fresh coding workforce into the industry with primary knowledge of both ICD-10-CM and PCS.
This tip is adapted from “Disrupting the status quo: Hospital outpatient and ICD-10-PCS” in the August issue of Briefings on APCs.



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