Free ICD-10 teleconference June 15th

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to bring together physicians, payers and electronic systems/service vendors to make the dreaded transition to the ICD-10 diagnosis code set smoother than past HIPAA-required changes. A consistent message in ICD-10 communications from CMS: There will be no delay in implementation. You must be ready and able to bill with ICD-10 codes on Oct. 1, 2013.

To effect this smooth transition, CMS has participated in educational summits and recently hosted a conference for billing services, software vendors and clearinghouses to discuss planning, testing and resources that can make implementing ICD-10 easier.

But what about physicians, who may ultimately suffer unpaid claims if the transition to the new codes doesn't go smoothly? You have not been forgotten. CMS will soon host a national provider conference call on "ICD-10 Implementation in a 5010 Environment" to provide you and your staff with information to use in planning for this change. Here are the details, should you or someone from your office wish to participate:

When: Tues., June 15, 2010

Time: 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET

Target Audience: Medical coders, physician office staff, provider billing staff, health records staff, vendors, educators, system maintainers and all Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) providers

You must register for the call. Registration will close at 12 p.m. ET on June 14, 2010, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time. You only need to register once per phone line, no matter how many individuals from your practice will be listening to the call.

To register, go to:  http://www.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/061510
Fill in all required data.
Verify that your time zone is displayed correctly in the drop down box.
Click "Register."
You will be taken to the "Thank you for registering" page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter.  NOTE: Please print and save the registration page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

If assistance for hearing impaired services is needed, the request must be sent to "medicare.ttt@palmettogba.com" no later than 3 business day before the event.

Presentation materials for the June 15 call will be available on the CMS web site (in the "Downloads" section) no later than 24 hours before the conference call. Presentation materials from previous CMS-sponsored calls on the basics of ICD-10 are also available there. Remember to download the presentation materials prior to the call.

The AAFP is working to provide members with ICD-10 information and resources including a transition planning tool and free, members-only ICD-10 coding education modules. Check back often to find new information and resources as these will be published as developed.