Carl Natale

Central Learning will give $5,000 for the inpatient coder with the highest average accuracy and productivity scores across 10 inpatient cases.

Don't worry, it looks like the ICD-10-CM code set is up to the task.

There are steps that medical practices can take to preserve medical coder productivity even in the short time we have before Oct. 1

Let's just say it's better to get the diagnosis code right instead of counting on a yet to be defined definition of family.

The fear is that ICD-10 code set is so large and complex that medical coders aren't going to be able to keep up with their current coding output. Not true.

Another delay is unlikely but not unthinkable.

Extending the ICD-10 transition another 12 months has been significant -- estimated in the millions.

ICD-10 testing will be a valuable step in the ICD-10 transition but it will be more complicated than sending medical claims to healthcare payers and asking, "How's that?"

The ICD-10 transition could affect every department at a healthcare system. That means success will depend on organized project management and planning.

We keep telling physicians that they may have to survive without reimbursement revenue for six months after the ICD-10 transition in Oct. 1, 2015. But it doesn't have to go down that way if organizations take practical steps.