CPC Exam | Blitz Training 2013 | ICD 9 – Video

Now we’re going to talk about ICD-9. I have my 2013 already. In October of 2014 we’ll be switching to ICD-10, so two more years. A lot of people are like, “Should I even bother to take the exam?” or “Should I just wait until ICD-10 comes out?” My feeling is this: the guidelines are the guidelines. They are not changing that much for ICD-10. It’s the format of the codes that are changing. It is a big change, but you still need to know how to use the index right, how to be led by the instructions; it tells you to code also or code first. All of that is going to remain the same, but they are different codes because it’s a different structure. Don’t feel like you’re wasting your time learning and understanding and mastering ICD-9 because all the guidelines apply.

The CPC exam, volumes 1 and 2 are what we’re going to be using. There’s actually a third volume for inpatient hospital coders. That’s actually what they use for procedures. They don’t use CPT. They use ICD volume 3. This is a general knowledge question, just know that there’re three volumes. Back in the day, they literally had three-bound volumes on the bookshelf. When they were going to code a diagnosis code, they would start with volume 2 which was the index. If you think of most books that have an index, the index is in the back, right? It helps you to find information in the front of the book. It was the same way with ICD. Volume two was the index. What would invariably happen though is the index is pretty good and would point them to a code. They would just use that, and they’d stop. They want to go verify in volume 1, which is the tabular. Which now we know with the code to the highest level of specificity, we need to do both steps. We need to start with volume 2, the index, and go to volume 1, the tabular.

CPC Exam | Blitz Training 2013 | ICD9 – Video

Now, a personal pet peeve of mine is that the publishers, I think they just want to do something new every year. Check your publisher. What do you have first? Which shows up first, volume 2 or volume 1? Does your index show up first or where the codes live show up first?

Participants: Yes.

Speaker: Now, we have to train our brain that volume two comes first then volume one, because God forbid, they ask you a general question. How many volumes of ICD are there? You could get it wrong if you’re just thinking that it goes in logical order, volume one and volume two. We couldn’t figure out to use the back of the book to go to the front, every other book in the library. No. They had to switch it. Anyway, be aware of that. I will say index and tabular or alpha index and tabular. I tend to say, “Where the codes live” is for the tabular, because the goal is to get there and confirm. Be aware there are two volumes.

Now, volume one, which is in the back of your book where the codes live, are 17 chapters based pretty much on, it starts with infectious diseases. It goes throughout the organ systems, digestive, mental health codes, ends with injury of our chapter 17 in signs and symptoms. Then, there’s a V-Code chapter and an E-Code chapter. It ends with the appendices. There are five key appendices.

I don’t know about yours, but mine does not have a table of contents. It’s all meshed together. Of all the books that you probably want to tab, ICD is the main one. I wouldn’t tab where all the chapters start. It doesn’t matter because again, on the board exam, your job is what? To look up the best of the possible answers. You’re going to look up to codes. You’re going to want to flip. You don’t really want to put tabs on the side of your book. You’re just going to flip to the numerical order to get there. It doesn’t matter what chapter, because you’re not going to “Okay, that’s a chapter 15 code. Let me go to chapter…” No. You’re not going to do that. You’re going to flip and get to the code number. It’s really not necessary to do that. I would tab where the V-Code start and where the E-Code start because sometimes you do need to get there separately and quickly.

Volume 2 is the Index, now usually in the front of the book. There’re actually three sections to volume two. I would tab those as well. The Index to Diseases, which is basically where we look up things, headache, etc. In the middle, there is the Table of Drugs and Chemicals. The third section is Index to E Codes. A lot of coders, even experienced coders, did not realize that the E-Codes had their own index. Sometimes, if they were just flipping, they would accidentally get in the E-Code index, and then they are, “Wait a minute, where am I? This does look familiar.” They would close the book and start again. “Okay. Now I’m…” That’s what was happening. I, personally, am not a fan of the E-Code Index because I don’t feel like they use words that we use in everyday life. For example, if someone has had an accident on their bike, they say “pedal cyclist.” We’re going, “Oh, I know, pedal cyclist.” We’re going to be looking of bike, bicycle. I’m going to show you a tip for that in a minute.

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