Ep. 11: ICD-10 and helpful coding tips with Dr. Jon Elion

This episode of the Surviving Healthcare podcast should be of particular interest to physicians and coders, because you will hear about medical coding in general, and ICD-10 in particular. My guest is Dr. Jon Elion, a practicing cardiologist and computer specialist who is also the founder, CEO and president of Chartwise Medical Systems.

We discuss the implications of the transition to ICD-10 coding for physicians and coders. Dr. Elion talks about the importance of the simple phrase "due to," and why it would make coding easier going forward, especially with the increased number of codes present in ICD-10.

We also discuss some aspects of the history of coding, including the original reason it was developed and why better coding will have a greater impact on healthcare in the future. Using ICD-9 means we don't acquire the detailed data we need to move forward. You may be surprised which prominent illness isn't even included in ICD-9. Dr. Elion also lists the biggest issues with the new healthcare system that need to be worked out from a coding perspective:

 

·         Why physicians must become more efficient with charting.

·         Why everyone should embrace the Affordable Care Act’s goals.

·         Why everyone must be more careful and thorough and account for everything.

To that last point, Dr. Elion uses an acronym, MEAT, which he relates to risk-adjusted coding. First, the doctor lists all of the conditions a patient has had, then asks the following about 

·         Did you Monitor it?

·         Did you Evaluate it?

·         Did you Assess it?

·         Did you Treat it?

We complete our conversation with a discussion of when you ask those questions and why they matter for accurate coding.

To read more about this episode or check out other guests and topics, visit surivivinghealthcarepodcast.com