ENT Physicians: Look at the Bright Side of the ICD-10 Changes

It’s the biggest thing to happen to standard healthcare coding system in a long, long time and it has just about everyone who works in medical billing services in a tizzy. Even for those who have already done all of the training and have prepared their billing and coding management departments for the ICD-10 changes, it is still a little overwhelming knowing that the deadline is looming closer and closer.

ENT physicians who run practices and clinics that are still in need of training on the upcoming ICD-10 changes need to find solutions that will cater to their specific needs. The ICD-10 will impact every single process, system and overall operation that utilizes a diagnostic code. MD Pro Solutions can help otolaryngology specialists prepare for the changes ahead of the deadline and then provide support during the transition to make sure that everything is done as it is required.

Why ICD-10 is Important
While everyone has their theory about why the US government has accepted the ICD-10 changes and will be requiring billing and coding management throughout the medical industry to make the necessary adjustments, there are some advantages and benefits associated with this change that will make it all worthwhile. Like any other major change, the problem is really in understanding the reasons why the change had to happen and then accepting the changes as we move forward with medical billing services.

Some of the benefits associated with the ICD-10 changes include:

• dozens of countries have already adopted ICD-10 for the classification of health problems and diseases all over the world
• experts believe that the ICD-10 changes will work to improve the quality of care and the documentation of it for better healthcare management
• increased ability to specifically identify procedures and diagnoses that were not possible with the ICD-9 coding format, some of which directly benefit ENT physicians
• new codes have been added to allow for increased specifications of other medical billing services and documentation, such as manifestation, laterality and healing
• new mechanisms and options in place to report and record new diseases and treatments

The Big Difference
By far the biggest change associated with the ICD-10 changes for medical billing services by ENT physicians and all other types of billing and coding management in the medical field is that over 65,000 brand new codes will be added to describe medical conditions and treatments. Much has changed in the medical field since the ICD-9 codes were first launched, and the new ICD-10 changes will reflect that and allow room for the industry to evolve and grow.

Additionally, the change in the structure of the code itself allows for more precision within coding. This has been the biggest hurdle for medical billing services, as the increased level of detail in the coding can be a little overwhelming. All in all, the changes will be very beneficial to the healthcare industry once the billing and coding management departments get it all sorted out. If you are anticipating any issues or problems during the transition, consider contracting a healthcare consulting firm like MD Pro Solutions to help you with online and phone support at this time. If you haven’t trained and prepared your staff for the impending changes, we can help provide you with a comprehensive training program that will get them up to speed.

Why Choose MD Pro Solutions
If you need help with your medical billing services, either for the ICD-10 changes or just in general for basic otolaryngology billing and coding management, consider hiring MD Pro Solutions to help get you on track. MD Pro Solutions was founded by a group of medical practitioners and practice administrators who specialize in working with ENT physicians. Our team is able to help ENT practices to improve their medical billing services and boost results because we know the industry first hand, inside and out.

We understand that the only way to be successful in the world of medical billing and coding management is to stay on top of current education and training trends, learn all of the related software and be prepared for the ICD-10 changes. Our services were developed with the goal of providing our clients with all of the tools, support and education they would need to delivery quality patient care and competent medical billing services. To find out more about all of the services we provide, give us a call at 508-946-1665 or use our online contact form.