ICD-10 is almost here. In a previous blog I discussed the unique thought logic that would be required to correctly code “late effects of radiation” in ICD-10. Now I am just going to say it—best of luck to those of you who do not have Intellicure. Intellicure is using a series of drop down menu options not much different from the system we have used since we launched our program in 1997. As early as 1995 we committed to “structured language” as the way forward, decades before the HITECH Act set the nation on that course.
The clinician will step through a series of logical decision points (is this a wound or an ulcer? Is it venous, diabetic or pressure?). These easy to use menus guide the drill down of the correct ICD-10 code for the side of the body, the location, and the depth of tissue involved until – within only a few seconds, the correct code is selected. The Intellicure program also assists in finding the correct code for hyperbaric oxygen therapy so that coding decisions are not left to hospital coders who cannot understand the complicated intersection between the ICD-10 codes that CMS has listed as “covered” for HBOT and the diagnosis codes that best describe a particular condition. Intellicure’s unique ICD-10 programming has been nearly two years in development.
To all of our clients – we know that changes are difficult — but the alternative is doing what everyone else will do—just hope that the hospital coders will figure it out, thus putting your revenue entirely at risk. To the Intellicure staff– this post is a shout out to the developers, analysts, trainers and customer care team who made this innovative leap happen. Great job, all of you.
Caroline Fife, MD
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Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
