ICD-10 is diagnostic coding system implemented by the World Health Organization in 1993 to replace ICD-9. Currently, almost every healthcare professional across the globe uses the ICD-10 system with the exception of providers in the United States, which have yet to make the transition to ICD-10. Moving to ICD-10 will allow for better analysis of disease patterns and treatment outcomes that can advance medical care, helping to streamline claims submissions and making initial claims much easier for payers to understand.

Anyone who is qualified to code ICD-9 should be able to easily make the transition to ICD-10 as both systems are quite similar. However, many improvement have been made to the ICD-10 system necessitating formal training and certification processes for current and prospective coders. Whether students are new or currently working in the medical industry, everyone will be affected by the new coding system, which will go from 13,000 to 68,000 codes. The impact of this shift is substantial. Not only does the new code set include five times as many codes as the ICD-9 code set, the different arrangement of codes will require more documentation, revised forms, retraining of staff and physicians, and changes to software and other information technology. Changes in reimbursement patterns may also result from the increased specificity of the new code set. The compliance date for practices to implement both ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS is October 1, 2014.

The ICD-10: For Physicians course will provide physicians with key information regarding the transition in medical billing from ICD-9 to ICD-10. This short course will provide an overview of ICD-10 and the changes that physicians will need to know in order to provide accurate information to medical billers/coders. Students will also learn about other important aspects of ICD-10 that directly relate to ensuring appropriate coding and payment.

The ICD-10: For Physicians course will address the following primary course objectives:

• Describe the purpose/benefits of ICD-10
• Compare ICD-10 to ICD-9
• Explain what should be included in medical records to allow abstraction
• Identify possible areas of concern in sample medical records
• Explain the nuances of ICD-10 and the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10