SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Big changes are happening to the health care industry. Starting Oct. 1, new coding regulations will take effect, requiring all medical facilities in the United States to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes. Used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures, ICD-10 allows for coding to be more specific and provide more accurate patient reimbursement.

ICD-10 will also become the new language for clinical data, public health reporting, and claims processing. Since being endorsed by the World Health Organization in 1990, ICD-10 has been used for years in over 25 countries worldwide with great success. Right now, ICD-9 offers about 17,000 codes that can be captured, but with ICD-10 that number will increase to roughly 150,000 codes.

More specific coding is expected to lead to improved disease management for patients, since providers will have better detail to describe patient outcomes. In time, the new codes could provide a clearer picture of why individuals seek care and which health problems are growing or contracting in communities —helping to provide insight about what health issues should be researched and improved.

After being announced, Regional West began preparing by upgrading programs and systems, engaging staff in proper training, and arranging extra resources and support for the conversion. However, hospitals and health care providers expect that the nationwide conversion may cause some inconvenience for both patients and providers.

“During this transition, patients may experience longer wait times to schedule appointments that require pre-authorization from their insurance carriers,” said Usman Akhtar, MD, Chief Medical Informatics Officer. “It may also take longer to resolve billing claims or to receive payment, as payers and claim handlers adapt to the new codes.”

The switch to ICD-10 comes from a ruling from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, requiring that all payers, providers, and vendors covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must implement these new codes.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 182-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.