Major Sectons of the ICD-9 manual

Here are the major sections of the ICD-9 manual.

Preventive Medicine

External Causes

Infectious and Parasitic Diseases

Neoplasms

Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Immunity

Blood and Blood forming organs

Mental Disorders

Nervous System and Sense Organs

Circulatory System

Respiratory System

Digestive System

Genitourinary System

Complications of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Puerpenium

Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue

Congenital Anomalies

Conditions in the perinatal period

Symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions

Injury and Poisoning

V-Codes

E-Codes

Until next time,

Thanks,
Lori

http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/
Loretta Sinclair
Author, Medical Billing, Coding and Reimbursement
How to Run Your Own Home Medical Billing Service
Annotation Press, 2007, 2008
Available in print and on Kindle

Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement
Supplemental Workbook
Sinclair Publications
copyright 2009

http://www.medicalbillingservice.blogspot.com/
http://www.faithfriendshipandfood.blogspot.com/



ICD-9 (for now)

Ok, last of the boring stuff, I promise... at least for a while.

The last reference manual that you will need to deal with is the ICD-9.  Exactly like the last two examples (the CPT and the HCPCS) it is separated into two major sections, alphabetical and tabular.  But wherein the last two books dealt with procedures, drugs, and equipment (primarily), the ICD-9 lists diagnoses.  It is an extremely detailed listing of any illness, condition, pre-condition, post-condition, or injury that you could imagine.  Again, like the other two books you never want to code from the alphabetical section, but use that as a reference to get to the much more detailed tabular section.  Below are two page examples.

So why do we need the ICD-9 anyway?  To track healthcare trends, and also to aid the insurance companies in processing your bill.  If your policy excludes certain services, like pregnancy for example, and a claim comes through with a pregnancy diagnosis, that aids the insurance company in the denial of that claim.  Many policies have a different payment rate for Emergency Room services.  A trauma or injury diagnosis will help expedite this.

The government also uses this information to allocate funds for healthcre trends and crises, such as AIDS, or pandemic flus.  The government gets a report of all reported diagnoses (without the names associated with them) so that they can determine what action needs to be taken next (if any) regarding the state of healthcare in the country.

Interestingly, the rest of the world also uses the ICD-9, its successor the ICD-10, and in 2015 will be using the ICD-11.  The World Health Organization tracks global pandemics and other health issues as well.  We are the only country that utilizes the ICD-9 for billing, making conversion to the ICD-10 much more difficult.

Next post will contain a listing of the major setions of the ICD-9 book.  Then on to the nuts and bolts of beginning a home business.

Until next time,

Thanks,
Lori

http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/
Loretta Sinclair
Author, Medical Billing, Coding and Reimbursement
How to Run Your Own Home Medical Billing Service
Annotation Press, 2007, 2008
Available in print and on Kindle

Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement
Supplemental Workbook
Sinclair Publications
copyright 2009

http://www.medicalbillingservice.blogspot.com/
http://www.faithfriendshipandfood.blogspot.com/



Major Sections of the HCPCS Coding Book

Here are the major coding sections of the HCPCS coding book:

A0000–A0999 Transportation Services Including Ambulance
A4000–A8999 Medical and Surgical Supplies
A9000–A9999 Administrative, Miscellaneous, and Investigational
B4000–B9999 Enteral and Parenteral Therapy
C1000–C9999 Outpatient PPS
D0000–D9999 Dental Procedures
E0100–E9999 Durable Medical Equipment
G0000–G9999 Procedures/Professional Services (temporary)
H0001–H2037 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Services
J0000–J9999 Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method
J9000–J9999 Chemotherapy Drugs
K0000–K9999 Temporary Codes
L0000–L9999 Orthotic Procedures
L5000–L9999 Prosthetic Procedures
M0000–M0301 Medical Services
P0000–P9999 Pathology and Laboratory Services
Q0000–Q9999 Q Codes (temporary)
R0000–R5999 Diagnostic Radiology Services
S0000–S9999 Temporary National Codes (non–Medicare)
T1000–T9999 National T Codes est. for State Medicaid Agencies
V0000–V2999 Vision Services
V5000–V5999 Hearing Services

Until next time,

Thanks,
Lori

http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/
Loretta Sinclair
Author, Medical Billing, Coding and Reimbursement
How to Run Your Own Home Medical Billing Service
Annotation Press, 2007, 2008
Available in print and on Kindle

Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement
Supplemental Workbook
Sinclair Publications
copyright 2009

http://www.medicalbillingservice.blogspot.com/
http://www.faithfriendshipandfood.blogspot.com/



What is a HCPCS?

So what is a HCPCS code and what is it used for?  HCPCS stands for Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System.  It is a book that contains a further level of coding than the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) that we discussed previously.  So what is the difference, and why do we need it?  Well, the CPT codes predominantly  procedures, and the HCPCS will code things like supplies, drugs, temporary codes, and transportation, just to name a few.  It is another essential book to medical billing, and should be reviewed regularly.

Like the CPT, it is divided into two main sections, one alphabetical, and one tabular.  Please see examples below:

HCPCS codes are actually Level II CPT codes.  This means that they are still considered procedure codes, and would go in the boxes for procedures on your claim forms, even though they may be for a neck brace or crutches.

Next we will cover the ICD-9 codes.

Until next time,

Thanks,
Lori

http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/
Loretta Sinclair
Author, Medical Billing, Coding and Reimbursement
How to Run Your Own Home Medical Billing Service
Annotation Press, 2007, 2008
Available in print and on Kindle

Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement
Supplemental Workbook
Sinclair Publications
copyright 2009

http://www.medicalbillingservice.blogspot.com/
http://www.faithfriendshipandfood.blogspot.com/