The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is recommending that members purchase new 2017 ICD-10 Coding Manual in the next few weeks.
The organization says that it’s critical for all providers to use a current ICD-10 coding manual as new codes are added every year. NHPCO recommends using a coding book versus electronic code directories, because there are rules associated with many of the codes in the manual that are not captured in electronic code directories.
All providers should attempt to code to the highest degree of specificity, avoiding unspecified codes whenever possible, especially for the principal terminal illness diagnosis.
