News: AHA to stop publishing Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM

“I know everyone is anxious about it going away,” said Nelly Leon-Chisen, RHIA, Director of Coding and Classification for the AHA during CMS’ “ICD-10 Implementation Strategies and Planning National Provider Call” on November 17.  

 

But fear not, plans for a new Coding Clinic and guidance specific to ICD-10 are underway, says Leon-Chisen. Much of the guidance presented in earlier Coding Clinic editions would be moot due to the increased specificity of the ICD-10 code sets, she said.

 

“We have no plans to translate [previous Coding Clinic volumes] because many of those [issues] came about as [ICD-9-CM] codes needed qualifications [and clarifications],” said Leon-Chisen.

 

Nevertheless, the AHA will begin to publish its new Coding Clinic for ICD-10 in the fourth quarter of 2012. It will “provide practical information and coding advice approved by the cooperating parties and editorial advisory board. It will be in the same format [as the previous publication]. Questions can keep coming. We will continue this service,” Leon-Chisen said.

 

Those with questions pertaining to ICD-10 can submit them to the AHA now, but those who submit inquiries must have working knowledge of the new code set and questions must pertain to the application of the codes and the interpretation of the medical record. “This service is for coding advice only,” Leon-Chisen said, “not for advice about ICD-10 implementation.”