By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Media Begin Focus on Next Iteration of ACA
    December 13, 2012
    Washington State Care
    Using Homecare for Positive Change in Healthcare
    August 14, 2017
    Do Electronic Health Records Reduce Malpractice Claims?
    February 2, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Are Doctors Prepared for Impending Changes to Medical Billing Practices?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Are Doctors Prepared for Impending Changes to Medical Billing Practices?
BusinessFinanceHospital AdministrationTechnology

Are Doctors Prepared for Impending Changes to Medical Billing Practices?

Susan Scutti
Susan Scutti
Share
5 Min Read
medical billing coding changes
SHARE

medical billing coding changesMedical billing is an intricate and international system of codes used by health care professionals — including doctors, private insurers, hospitals, Medicare, and Medicaid — when determining patients’ conditions and/or diseases as well as how much should be pai

medical billing coding changesMedical billing is an intricate and international system of codes used by health care professionals — including doctors, private insurers, hospitals, Medicare, and Medicaid — when determining patients’ conditions and/or diseases as well as how much should be paid for treatments. In a change unrelated to the new health care law, public health officials have proposed switching to a new set of codes on Oct. 1, 2014. Already some doctors as well as health care IT specialists have raised a cry and are insisting on a delay. Though it may be argued their response is merely an “anniversary reaction” to the botched deadline for the federal health insurance website, their fears are justified in at least one sense.

“If you don’t code properly, you don’t get paid,” Dr. W. Jeff Terry, a urologist in Mobile, Ala., told The New York Times. “It’s going to put a lot of doctors out of business.” He believes support staff as well as the computer systems on which they work, particularly those in small medical practices, may not be adequately prepared for an Oct. 1 deadline.

Who Decides?

The new set of codes, which are referred to as ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision), follow from the existing codes currently in use, the ICD-9. All disease codes are currently issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), though the practice more or less officially began when a French physician introduced theBertillon Classification of Causes of Death at a congress of the International Statistical Institute in Chicago. America adopted the system in 1898; the first conference to revise an “International Classification of Causes of Death” took place in 1900; and revisions have occurred every 10 years thereafter. The original intent of a common global code is to promote comparability when collecting, processing, classifying, and presenting the causes of death and illness. In the U.S., the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversee all changes and modifications to the codes, which can be tweeked by each country, within limits, to suit their individual medical billing systems. Most other nations have already adopted ICD-10, if only for record-keeping purposes.

Originally, the ICD-10 was scheduled to launch in the United States this past Oct. 1, but that would have coincided with the rollout of the HealthCare.gov insurance website. A spokeswoman from CMS told The Times the agency remains committed to implementing ICD-10 on Oct. 1, 2014, and that will not change.” In comparison to the previous revision, the ICD-10 reportedly permits greater detail when describing illnesses, injuries, and treatment procedures. In turn, this should improve the recording and tracking of public health threats and trends while also expanding the capability of analyzing the effectiveness of treatments.

The American Hospital Association found in a recent survey that about 94 percent of hospitals were moderately to very confident about being ready by the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline. Yet more than half of the hospitals surveyed cited meeting the requirements of the Meaningful Use program for electronic health records (EHRs) — the specific objectives that eligible professionals and hospitals must achieve to qualify for CMS incentive programs — was the largest competing priority for ICD-10 implementation. Additionally, some hospitals suggested that external factors, such as timely testing and the receipt of necessary upgrades from vendors, might also threaten ICD-implementation. Nevertheless, most believe health care professionals will be both practiced and prepared for this necessary change when the deadline looms.

(shutterstock)

TAGGED:billingICD-10
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Does Your Hospital Have Social Media Guidelines for Employees in Place?

July 11, 2013

Six Tips To Help You Provide Better Patient Care

July 22, 2016
caregivers policy
BusinessHealth ReformHospital AdministrationNewsPolicy & LawPublic Health

Reducing Hospital Readmissions: An Interview with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Anne Weiss

March 1, 2013

Physicians Leaving – Things Just Aren’t Working Out Between Us….

September 28, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?