Oct. 1: BWC, MCOs ready for ICD-10
BWC is prepared for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) national implementation that is fast approaching on Oct. 1. This means Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant providers do not need to make special accommodations for their patients with a workers’ compensation claim resulting in uninterrupted services for your employees.
More specific for injuries
Remember for workers’ compensation, claims determinations are based on injury descriptions, not disease codes. The new ICD-10 code set offers the medical community the ability to be more specific in how they document the location and severity of workplace injuries.
Bottom line for employers
Therefore, you may see more (and/or different) codes in existing workers’ compensation claims after Oct. 1. However, that does not mean there are more allowances in the claims. The bottom line is more (or different) codes do not equal more allowed conditions. The legal narrative descriptions originally allowed in a claim will not change with ICD-10.