Purpose
The ICD-10 is categorised into an alphabetic index containing list’s terms and their respective codes. They have the role of finding the most well-defined code for the patient’s condition. An alphabetical list of ICD-10-CM helps determine the tabular list section to refer to (CDC, 2013). However, it does not always provide the full code. Alphabetic Index consists of several sections, including the table of chemicals and drugs, the index of external causes of disease, the index of injury and diseases, and the table of neoplasms. Tabular list, on the other hand, is divided into chapters based on condition and body system and is made of a structured list of codes. The codes are used for reporting purposes, and any applicable 7th character is required. Therefore, the alphabetic index and tabular list are used to code morphology and anatomical sites. It also includes coding for conditions and tumor-like lesions.
Examples of problems that might occur if proper coding procedures are not followed
If proper coding procedures are not used, patient care may be negatively impacted. This is because improper coding can lead to confusion, frustration, proper break of the relationship between patient and the healthcare professional and hence can interrupt the goal of quality care. Other problems resulting from coding errors include fraud and abuse fines, especially if healthcare providers have a history of coding mistakes. This can lead to other federal penalties as well. However, to prove that fraud has occurred, miscoding of an event must occur across a large number of patients over time (Holton, 2007). Besides, failure to use the correct coding procedures can lead to limited, denied, or delayed payments, and since delayed reimbursements are unexpected, they are costly.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). ICD-9-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting. 2013. Accessed at w ww. cdc. gov/nchs/data/icd/icd9cm_guidelines_2011. pdf on , 20 .
Holton, J. A. (2007). The coding process and its challenges. The Sage handbook of grounded theory , 3 , 265-289.
