Are You Ready For ICD 10 CM?

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The clock is ticking and you know you should be doing something to prepare for ICD 10 CM. It doesn’t matter what medical website you are logged into, you are going to be nudged, whether you like it or not, to begin seriously thinking about your future coding career.

ICD 10 CM Preparation

There are organizations that can train you in a classroom setting or online, such as www. or www.aapc.com, but the big question is, how well do you understand anatomy and pathophysiology to become proficient in ICD 10 CM? Do you have any idea what an intracytoplasmic sperm injection is used for? What about a simple problem like snoring? Do you know what body parts are directly related to a person’s breathing difficulties at night?

Perhaps you feel confident coding for combined arterial-venous grafting for coronary artery bypass surgery. Maybe spinal procedures are your forte. But are you familiar with just the words or do you actually know what is technically involved when the surgeon cuts into the human body to correct coronary artery disease or spinal stenosis?

This is the substance of ICD-10 and it will definitely be to your advantage to visualize what the doctor is documenting because specificity is what it’s all about and it is every coder’s responsibility to comprehend the terminology, the anatomy, the surgery, and the disease process.

But don’t panic. There IS a solution out there and it is free if you are interested in expanding your mind. It is an extraordinary opportunity for coders to actually learn about health topics, drugs and supplements and most importantly, the chance to watch actual videos on anatomy and surgical procedures. The website is produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

MedlinePlus offers interactive tutorials and games, as well as a section called Videos & Cool Tools for coders with a strong stomach. You can learn a lot from the anatomy videos and the surgeries will surely help you visualize some of the coding scenarios you may have struggled with in the past. You can find out about Body Mass Index and how to calculate your own BMI plus the site offers quizzes about HIV wellness and heart disease too.

I like the section captioned: Understanding Medical Words. It’s actually a medical dictionary with a voice option that teaches you correct pronunciation.
MedlinePlus brings you trusted information about disease, conditions, and wellness issues in a language you can understand. The government has really given coders a gift with this website and I seriously encourage coders who do not have a clinical background to pay a visit. I guarantee you will not be disappointed and you can be assured you will be fully prepared for ICD-10-CM when it arrives.

Related ICD 10 CM Content:

Are You Ready For ICD 10 CM?

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Laureen Jandroep

CPC, COC, CPPM, CPC-I.,Sr. Instructor for CCO.us. Laureen has over 25 years in the healthcare field. She graduated as an Occupational Therapist in 1986 and before long was running a successful therapy practice which did over 1.6 million in billing per year with a less than .06% rejection rate. Once Medicare changed how rehab companies were reimbursed this business was closed and Laureen eventually started a new company dedicated to teaching Medical Billing and Coding. Laureen has taught medical billing and coding since 1999 and currently does so through her comapny Certification Coaching Organization, LLC which does business as CCO.She resides in Florida with her husband of over 20 years Anthony and four children. They are active parents and spend most of their time these days just being parents which they love.

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