September 2015
This fall physicians across the U.S. will need to transition to ICD-10, beginning October 1, 2015. Hopefully you and your practice are well on you way to preparing for the ICD- 10 transition, coding and billing software systems have been upgraded, encounter forms with ICD-10 codes have been created and physician and coding staff have been trained on the new system. For those looking for a bit of last minute preparation, this edition of the ATS Coding and Billing Quarterly will provide some useful information, including an article on ICD-10 coding for the interstitial lung diseases and news about ATS-sponsored webinars on ICD-10 coding.
This edition also has information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed hospital outpatient rule and physician fee schedule rule for 2016. The proposed rules include several policy measures that, if adopted, will significantly impact the pulmonary, critical care and sleep communities. This edition summarizes some of those key issues and outlines the ATS response to CMS’s proposal.
This edition also includes coding, billing and regulation questions submitted by ATS members and answered by ATS experts. As always, we welcome your questions. Please submit your questions to codingquestions@thoracic.org.
Sincerely,
Alan L. Plummer, MD
Editor
