I am leaving medicine because of ObamaCare. NOT!

While many things make it challenging to maintain a solo, indendent practice, "ObamaCare" isn't really one of them.  So when I hear things like health providers leaving health care as a result of "ObamaCare" I have to laugh.  What a joke.  I find it hard to believe that "ObamaCare" had anything to do with their problems or that it was even the straw that broke the camel's back.

What is difficult about independent practice?  Let me count the ways.

• Competition for patients
• IT costs
• Compliance with federal, state, and local laws
• Human resource management
• Paying bills
• Getting paid
• Managing cash flow
• Managing the phones

and virtually anything else that has to do with running a small business. 

 "ObamaCare" is no where in this list.

I would like people to stop blaming "ObamaCare" for what are likely their own shortcomings.  

The IU.

ICD-10 is Very Specific

Here are some pretty cool codes that exemplify the level of detail im ICD-10:

The injury codes Y92.149 refer to injuries that happen in prison.  Biut the specific gets down to the level of where in the prison the injury occured.

• Bathroon-Y92.142
• Cell-Y92.143
• Courtyard-Y92.1147
• Dining Room-Y92.141
• Kitchen-Y92.140

Now that is amazing.  

ICD10, bring it on!

5 charts with ICD10

I randomly selected 5 charts today and codes them using ICD10.  

Getting the hang of it.  Actually may even become intuitive.  The codes encompass every possible diagnosis.   Pretty cool.  

Good luck. 

ICD-10: Get Ready Now

Like it or not, ICD-10 is coming.  I just came back from a meeting and let me tell you, ICD10 is a bear! ICD10 is not a simple conversion of ICD-9 to the corresponding codes in ICD10.  Far from it.  ICD 10 to ICD9 is like Chinese to English.  It is a distinct and complex language of its own and while one can translate Chinese to English and vise-versa, much information gets lost in the translation when one does this.  Same with ICD9 to 10.

I recommend that you start familiarizing yourself now for ICD10.  Get the ICD10-CM book.  Take a course or courses.  Think about how you will need to update your process to accomodate this new language in your practice, because on October 1, 2014 ICD10 becomes the official language of medical finance transaction in the United States.

I'll be posting updates on my progress over the next 12 months here.  Wish me luck and good luck to you.

Dr Schoor