Cancer Registrars have been using ICD-10 mortality codes for some time and we are familiar with coding and standards changes. But, what is the “inside scoop” on why are ICD-9 codes are being replaced? Here are some quick facts on what is happening in the industry.
ICD-9-CM is a diagnostic and procedural classification system originally developed in the 1970’s. As you might expect, its use has surpassed the original design and ICD-9 is no longer effective. It simply cannot be stretched or updated any further to support 21st century medicine and healthcare.
United States is the only industrial nation that has not upgraded its morbidity classification system. By upgrading to ICD-10 we will improve our ability to monitor and respond to international health events, increase the value of theUS’s investment in SNOMED-CT®, and help provider organizations to achieve better benefits from the electronic health record (EHR).
Briefly, ICD-9:
Does not have adequate specificity and detail.
Is running out of capacity and its limited structural design cannot accommodate new advances in medicine, medical technology, or the rapidly growing need for quality data.
Is obsolete and no longer reflects current knowledge of disease processes, medical terminology or 21st century practices of medicine.
Impedes the use of a standardized system needed to compare costs and outcomes from different medical technologies and specialties.
Cannot support theUnited States’ transition to an interoperable health data exchange format.
In summary, replacing the ICD-9 system with ICD-10 will help us to better maintain clinical data comparability with the rest of the world regarding conditions and diseases that require healthcare services. ICD-10 makes it easier, and this directly affects cancer registrars, to share disease and mortality data during these critical times for public health.
Cancer Registrars are already asking what the “ripple effect” will be for them. The answer is simple, we don’t know yet. Perhaps there will be change, but until ICD-10 is fully implemented the cancer registrar would be better served by developing an understanding of what is needed to analyze and report accurate and quality data in the 21st century and adopting a mindset that welcomes expanded use of cancer registry data and patient care outcomes.
To learn more about ICD-10 visit the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) website by clicking here. Check back to our website for future posts about what is happening with ICD-10 and other planned training events such as webinars, white paper summaries and more.
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Michele Webb creator of http://www.RegistryMindset.comthe cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL.
How has your day gone so far? If you are like many people you went about your business today with some ups, and some downs. For some it may have been worse, or perhaps even better. Shaping our world is something that we CAN and should be doing. Nothing should be left to chance or placed in the hands of someone else. Gary Lew said this so well, “This is your world. Shape it or someone else will.”
We have the power and ability within ourselves to not only shape our world, but to create a life that is beyond our wildest dreams and imagination. We are not saddled with what someone else expects of us. One only has to look at the Special Olympics, or other people that have overcome significant hardship or challenges to do something great. So, why is that so many people, with the world at their fingertips and so many blessings and gifts in hand, can’t make a go at success or happiness?
Joel Osteen, in his book Your Best Life Now: 7 steps to Living at Your Full Potential, said, “You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It won’t happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.”
Each of us has potential and the God-given choices abilities to use that for something great. How we go about it, or how we shape our life to use these resources is entirely up to us. Cancer Registrars can easily get overwhelmed with rules, changes, guidelines, coding requirements and the constant change and shifting that is happening in healthcare today. But, even with all that, they can rise above it and change their world.
So, how are you shaping your world today? What do YOU do that makes a difference? What do YOU do that keeps you going no matter what? Please share with us your tips and secrets. It is by sharing and helping one another that we grow.
In closing, consider this statement by Maria Shriver, who I think is an excellent example of someone who has risen above the fray many times. “Make the job a reflection of you, as opposed to you trying to fit into the job.” Cancer Registrars, does your work reflect well of you or are you swimming in self-doubt? Are you bringing your expertise to the table to meet the organization’s business need, or are you slumped back in your chair waiting for someone to come to you? Are you using your skills, talents and worth to shape and serve your world?
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Michele Webb creator of http://www.RegistryMindset.comthe cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL.
Have you listened to the news recently? If so you probably heard at least a few of these words: crisis, disaster, scandal, tragic, threat, devastation, danger, emergency, shooting, crash, and the list goes on. No wonder people feel hopeless or become apathetic! The few moments of news that is uplifting does nothing to counter the barrage of negativity and media hype.
Not too long ago Darren Hardy, editor of Success magazine interviewed racing legend Mario Andretti. When asked what his No. 1 success tip was, Andretti said, “Don’t look at the wall. Your car goes where your eyes go.” As a teenager I frequently went rock climbing and rappelling. The secret was to not look down or to think about going down. You enjoyed the activity when you admired the scenery around you and trusted your gear to get you safely up or down the face of the rock. Imagine a tightrope walker who only focused on the ground. If they do not look up and focus on the rope, they will fall!
Our brains are complex organs but there are some simple rules you can follow to be in control of your life and your success as a cancer registrar. Your mind will hold whatever it is you think about, talk about and act on. If your mind is filled with negative thinking or if your social circles are filled with negative people who incessantly dwell on the dark side of life. Or, if words like, too busy, overworked, misunderstood, not valued, or no one cares are in your vocabulary, that is what you will get back in life. You’re probably familiar with the adage, “garbage in, garbage out.”
We get in life what we create and our expectations drive the creative process that we call life. Our expectations come from what we think and talk about. They come from the thoughts and words of people we associate with and the relationships we form. Whatever we allow ourselves to see and hear has an impact on our brain.
In your cancer registry, what do you talk about? What is the focus of your conversations and what do you want to happen? Is your talk or behavior positive or is it one of “doom and gloom?” If there is only grumbling about too much work to do, or if you only gripe about the new reporting rules or standards or the water-cooler talk is about team members who you feel are not supporting or valuing your work, then consider cleaning house!
It’s time to flush your mind and develop a positive, inspirational and supportive environment. By changing your thoughts and behaviors you can overcome challenges and obstacles that would have otherwise sent you into a blue funk. Creating a mindset of gratitude, abundance, health, love and joy so that you can grow and be successful is a constant challenge, but one that CAN be done.
It is time to take back control of your mind and your life. If you focus your thoughts and attention on what is right in the world and in your workplace then others will not have the power or potential to do you harm. If you focus your attention on ideas, information and knowledge and with an eye to the mission and values of your organization you will be able to serve others and grow your value as a cancer registrar and member of your family and community. By taking back control of your mind and focus you can make a positive difference in the world.
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Michele Webb creator of http://www.RegistryMindset.comthe cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL.
Did you set New Year’s resolutions for 2012? If so, are you still working to reach those goals or, have you like about 40% of people, already abandoned any notion of working on them? Don’t feel bad if you answered “yes” to this last question.
Arianna Huffington was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2006 and again in 2011. She is the president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, author of thirteen books, and a very successful woman. So, would it surprise you to learn that she has a very simple and realistic solution for how to be successful in life? Maybe not, but you need to watch this short video to hear her secret!
We all want to be successful at work and in life. None of us set out to fail and we certainly do not want to “shoot ourselves in the foot” by not getting all the insider secrets on how to be successful. And yet, almost every day, cancer registrars are doing just that. We work too many hours, take too few breaks, live unhealthy lifestyles, sleep too few hours and, by our own choosing (yes, our own, not our employer’s!) take on too much. You may think that you are doing what you have to, should do, or what your employer demands of you, but instead you are becoming less effective, diluting your value and expertise as a cancer registrar, and, perhaps, working yourself to an earlier demise. I don’t mean to be harsh or to scare you, but we all need a reality check from time to time.
Ms. Huffington’s personal experience and secrets to success can change your life and help you to live a healthier, happier and deeply successful life. I hope that you listen to this short video carefully and that you take immediate action to change your life today.
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Michele Webb creator of http://www.RegistryMindset.comthe cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL
Achieving cancer registry success is not easy. It is challenging to keep operations moving smoothly while ensuring your team is pleased with your work and then trying to stay on top of the many reporting standards and guidelines. You may be wondering if you will EVER step off that treadmill or if you’ll be sent flying off the end of the belt like a Frisbee out of control!
Do the Opposite
There’s a rule in business that you may find helpful. It’s called “The Law of Holes.” I have no idea who coined this phrase, but it is incredibly powerful and one of the most useful laws you may ever come across. The rule says this, “When you find yourself in one, stop digging!”
Have you ever had that feeling that the deeper you went into a problem or situation, the darker it became? If you have, that was The Law of Holes “speaking” to you. If you have not been in this position yet, give yourself a pat on the back. But, remember this, it is not a matter of if you ever experience hole digging, it is only a matter of when. So, how do you avoid the dark holes and the pits in the cancer registry?
Brian Tracy, internationally renowned self-help author and motivational speaker, offers an alternative. Our natural tendency when we find ourselves in a hole is to dig deeper. And, the deeper you go the darker it becomes. Sometimes, doing the exact opposite will turn out to the better, or perhaps even perfect, solution.
Do the opposite of what you have been doing, with joy and positive expectations, and you will likely get results. Maybe not 100% of the time, but don’t underestimate it’s power and potential for change. When you do have a success moment, drop back to this blog post and tell us what you did and how it worked. By sharing with your cancer registry network you will expand your success potential and develop a community of expertise and support.
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Michele Webb creator of http://www.RegistryMindset.comthe cancer registrar’s best online resource, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author and this URL.
YOU can make a difference. We underestimate how important our words and actions are and the long-term effect they may have on someone. Decide today that you will be a difference maker!
Cancer Registrars, clinicians and other healthcare professionals have been searching for the answers on how cancer begins and grows for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In this short illustrated video the newest advances in science, and how that has changed how we view the cause and origin of cancer, is explained in simple, easy-to-follow, language and then illustrated by an artist. It’s a one-of-a-kind video that every Cancer Registrar should view.
