Coding accuracy under ICD-10 is gradually improving, according to a post at ICD10Monitor, but it’s not yet at the same level that was achieved under its predecessor.
Looking at coding by 50 organizations, Eileen Tkacik, director of operations and information technology at Aviance Suite Inc., says inpatient accuracy increased to 84.9 percent in the second quarter of 2016, up from the 83.1 percent in Q1. Ambulatory coding accuracy rose to 82.7 percent, from 80.8 percent, and emergency services coding wen from 85.6 percent to 88.9 percent.
A survey released by the American Health Information Management Association Foundation earlier this month found that the switch to ICD-10 caused only a “dip” in coding accuracy and a slight decrease in productivity.
Tkacik adds that the upward trend in coding accuracy is expected to continue to increase, but there are some areas where it remain lows. Those include external causes of morbidity, symptoms; signs & abnormal findings; injury, poisoning and other external; among a couple others.
“As coders grow and mature in their knowledge and experience with ICD-10, we expect a continual improvement in coding accuracy in these problem areas,” the report adds.