The world of medical transcription and medical coding is extensive and always changing. The change that has the medical field buzzing right now is the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases – Version 10). Currently, health care facilities use ICD-9 for documentation and coding, but by October of 2014 every facility must abide by the new system. These new changes will increase the need for skilled medical transcription and medical coding. It will also bring these two jobs expertise closer and merge at some time in the future.
Why will demand for transcription and coding increase?
For healthcare employees already working as a medical transcriptionist or medical coder, they don’t need to worry about these changes affecting their chances of employment. The truth is that the need for these highly skilled workers will actually increase with the implementation of ICD-10.
One of the main reasons for the increase of work is that the new book of codes is a lot more specific than ICD-9. For instance, in ICD-9, the code for a burn on the left arm is the same code as a burn on the right arm. While this may not matter to the insurance company, it does matter to the treating physician, the patient and the transcription. There are not numerous new diseases in the new manual, but it will have over 70,000 codes listed. These are also going to be seven digits, instead of the five seen in the past. The increase in codes and length of codes will help the medical coder be more specific.
There is no substitute for an intelligent human mind, so the fear that medical transcription will be obsolete after the new implementation is unfounded. Both transcriptionist and coders will actually have to work harder and attend more training to become compliant. The new system may be confusing and overwhelming to those who have worked on ICD-9 for years. As these older employees leave the workforce, fresh new recruits will be needed.
Importance of Implementing Electronic Health Records (EHRs) from ICD-10 prospective
In order to be compliant with the new rules, healthcare facilities will find that having an efficient EHR (electronic health record) system in place first will be a huge benefit. There are still thousands of private practices that have not made the switch to electronic medical records, but this will hurt them when they must face compliance with the new coding regulations.
By implementing an easy to use and efficient EHR, the transition to ICD-10 will be a lot smoother. If a facility does not yet use computers for their records, they should consider doing this as soon as possible to be ready for the upcoming coding and documentation changes.
The reason an EHR is so important is because it helps streamline the coding process. It is much easier to use a search function on a computer than trying to pore through hundreds of pages in a patient’s chart to find information. To determine whether an injury was on the left or right side of the body, for example, the coder can simply search for this terminology within the patient’s electronic record. To find this information in a paper chart wastes hours of valuable time.
How will the New System Help Medical Transcription?
It may be true that the new system will mean less hours of transcribing work but it doesn’t appear transcription will be absolute. In fact, those that choose to stay in the field and learn ICD-10 coding will be rewarded with more hours than ever of transcribing work.
Because ICD-10 demands greater detail, physicians will have to begin giving greater detail in their records. This translates into more words for the transcription, which equals greater pay. Also, the increased need for transcription with coding expertise will mean better rewarding opportunities.
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