Take the Annual Code Challenge!

Are you ready for ICD-10? Take the Annual Code Challenge and you can enter to win some of the latest annual code books from Elsevier. The winner will receive:

2010 ICD-10-CM Standard Edition (DRAFT)

Carol J. Buck, MS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P

ISBN: 978-1-4160-2567-2

2010 ICD-10-PCS Standard Edition (DRAFT)

Carol J. Buck, MS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P

ISBN: 978-1-4160-6412-1

2011 ICD-9-CM Vols. 1, 2, and 3 for Hospitals, Professional Edition

Carol J. Buck, MS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P

ISBN: 978-1-4377-0209-5

2011 HCPCS Level II, Professional Edition

Carol J. Buck, MS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P

ISBN: 978-1-4377-0209-5

Compare your results with a friend and find out who is better prepared for ICD-10!

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Contest Rules

Understanding ICD-10 Gives Students an Advantage in the Workplace

by Colleen Agee

Former Medical Coder | Elsevier Account Representative, Career Sales

Even with limited coding experience, today's coding students can gain an edge on professional coders already in the workforce. The change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 on October 1st, 2013 will affect all coders, no matter how much experience they may have. Give yourself an advantage by learning about ICD-10 now.

Today's professional coders work with approximately 17,000 codes in the ICD-9-CM code set. After the transition to ICD-10, they'll be working with more than 155,000 codes. With the coding community nervous about the changes, many companies are delaying ICD-10 training for their staff until the 2013 implementation date draws closer. This is your chance to get ahead.

Here are some steps you can take to leverage your understanding of ICD-10 in your job search and early coding career:

• Identify initial ICD-10 training on your résumé. Employers receive many résumés for every open position. While many applicants may have years of professional experience or coding certification, very few are trained on how to code with ICD-10 -- especially in smaller medical offices. This will make your résumé stand out from the rest.
• Mention your ICD-10 experience in your job interview. When discussing your skills, highlight your understanding of ICD-10. This will demonstrate your value to potential employers both as an experienced coder and a source of information for other coders on staff.
• Share your knowledge. Once you're hired, share what you know about ICD-10 with other employees. You'll stand out as a leader among the coders on staff, which will benefit you when your boss is conducting reviews or considering promotions.
• Stay up to date. Show employers your motivation and dedication by following ICD-10 information as it becomes available. You can find ICD-10 updates here and at these other sites:

www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD10

www.ahima.org/ICD10

www.aapc.com/ICD-10

Elsevier's core coding resources already include ICD-10 coverage so you can start your preparation now. Learn more.

From the Elsevier Experts: Is Your Med Term Coverage "Up to Code?"

With changes coming to coding terminology, it’s important to evaluate your program’s med term coverage now.

When is a “resection” really an “excision?”

When it’s coded in ICD-10-PCS. As instructor and author Alice Noblin explains, “Certain common surgical procedures are defined differently in [ICD-10-]PCS than they are in Volume 3 of ICD-9[-CM].”

For example, transurethral resection of the prostate (the process of treating benign prostatic hyperplasia via the removal of tissue from the prostate) will now be coded as transurethral excision of the prostate. “With I-10, if you code it as a transurethral resection, you are coding removal of the prostate. So it’s going to be an adjustment for existing coders, too.”

Noblin, Health Information Management Program Director at the University of Central Florida, recently participated in an ICD-10 training seminar sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and noted the potential challenges presented by this new terminology. “Coders and coding students need to know about these changes. Relying on existing terminology will result in miscoding.”

How can you prepare?

As the leader in coding education resources, Elsevier is developing training solutions to help instructors adapt their programs to reflect the changes in terminology for PCS coding. Begin your preparation now by ensuring that your program’s medical terminology coverage is up to date.

Watch for tips on how to help students prepare for the coming changes, and register for updates now to get the latest ICD-10 news and information on Elsevier’s exclusive training program!

What are Dual Codes, and how can they help you prepare for ICD-10?

Maybe you’ve seen the term in the news, or perhaps you overheard someone mention it at the 2009 AAPC conference. But what is Dual Coding, and what does it mean to coders?

“Dual Coding presents both the ICD-9-CM and corresponding ICD-10-CM codes for each procedure side-by-side so users can see the differences between the two code sets at a glance,” explains Michael Ledbetter, Publisher for Elsevier Health Sciences.

Example of dual coding.

Beginning in Fall 2009, Elsevier, the leader in coding education, will incorporate Dual Codes into key coding textbooks to familiarize students and practitioners with correct coding protocols for ICD-10 and help make the transition from ICD-9 easier and more efficient.

Do you have questions about Dual Codes, ICD-10, or anything else related to coding? Ask the Elsevier Experts!

Where Do You Start? Key First Steps to Implementing ICD-10 in Your Classroom

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on January 15 of this year that it would replace the ICD-9-CM code set with ICD-10 in 2013.

What do you do now?

2013 may seem a long way off, but as the leading publisher in coding education, Elsevier is already taking steps to ensure that you have the textbooks and resources you need to start preparing now.

The Elsevier Plan

In order to make your transition to ICD-10 as smooth as possible, Elsevier has developed a comprehensive plan to address your specific concerns and keep you in the know:

• ICD10Educators.com keeps you up to date on the latest news and provides direct feedback and guidance from a panel of expert authors, educators, and industry insiders, lead by bestselling authors Carol J. Buck, Karla Lovaasen, and Jennifer Schwerdtfeger.
• Dual Codes in key coding textbooks will familiarize students and practitioners with correct coding protocols for both code sets beginning in Fall 2009
• ICD-10 Manual Draft versions will publish in late 2009, providing hands-on practice for locating new codes.
• Renowned Netter Anatomy artwork will be added to all of Carol J. Buck's new ICD-9, ICD-10 and HCPCS coding reference books, starting with the 2010 ICDs. This expanded anatomy coverage will help clarify complex A&P concepts, helping support coders and students as they prepare for the more specific A&P in the ICD-10 code set.
• Elsevier’s exclusive co-publishing agreement with the American Medical Association (AMA) ensures that Elsevier’s ICD-9-CM and HCPCS code books will meet the needs of the full spectrum of students, instructors, physicians, coders, and other office staff throughout the transition process.

Watch for more info on these and other pieces of Elsevier’s ICD-10 preparation plan in future updates! Register now to receive the latest news via e-mail!

The ICD-10 Ruling is in: ICD-10 to be implemented in 2013

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on January 15 that it would replace the ICD-9-CM code set with ICD-10 in 2013. This means that all students and coders must switch to the new system by the implementation date, October 1, 2013.

This is good news for coders and for Elsevier because it establishes a plan for moving to the new code set, while also allowing two extra years for the implementation of the new codes.

In order to make the transition to ICD-10 smooth for our customers, Elsevier's plans for ICD-10 include:

• We will publish a draft ICD-10 manual this August in addition to the ICD-9-CM reference
• Starting in August 2009, Elsevier Coding textbooks will be dual coded, so that exercises show how students would find the answers in the ICD-10 codes as well as the ICD-9-CM codes
• We will communicate changes and gather feedback from customers via this website, www.icd10educators.com