Articles of Interest
ICD-10
countdown: Will we be ready for
takeoff?
Author
Name Jennifer Bresnick
Article Detail
EHR
Intelligence
Author: Jennifer Bresnick
Date:
August 28, 2013
In case you haven’t heard, the clock is ticking down
to ICD-10, and as far as CMS
is concerned, there won’t be a last minute cutting of the wires to
diffuse the bomb. You’ve heard the warning bells
and the cautions,
and you’ve heard the reasons
you should be excited about the switch to the detailed code
set. But will we be ready when we get there? EHRintelligence has
asked experts across the field about their predictions and advice for October
1, 2014.
“I think we’ll be ready,”
says Bonnie Cassidy, MPA, RHIA, FAHIMA, FHIMSS. “If I take a look at the
clients we work with, on the inpatient side, they’re very much focused on
ICD-10. They might have put it off a little bit because of meaningful use and all of the other
components they have to be working on, but the area of risk is physician
offices. It did say in the recent AHA survey that 92% of hospitals are
working with their physicians on ICD-10, but I don’t know how many of them are
preparing the physician office to be ready for billing. Because they
still have to do the ICD-10 diagnosis coding for physician billing.”
“We see many hospitals now acquiring physician practices as they
prep for ACOs, and I think as they pull in the physician practice, they’re also
pulling in the coding and billing. So I think they’ll have a better shot
at readiness because the big organization will be taking it over. But
that big organization typically doesn’t have any experience in clinical
documentation and coding and billing for physician offices. So that’s
going to be an extra effort.”
“The solo practitioners are going to experience more challenges
transitioning to ICD-10 coding of diagnoses for billing. By and
large, I think the hospitals will be very ready, but the physician provider
side is an area of opportunity for the HIM profession to really set the stage
and provide coding leadership for physician practices so they’ll be ready for
success.”
“Take all the time that’s out there. Don’t delay,” advises
Kathy DeVault, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, Manager of Professional Practice Resources
at AHIMA. “It puts everyone at a disadvantage and you have the
potential to set yourself up for failure if you don’t take advantage of January
2013 moving forward. Do something every month. It can be as simple
as reading the guidelines. Do one chapter of the ICD-10 book a
month. It doesn’t have to be grand and massive starting today, but it
needs to be something.
We all have strengths and weaknesses and opportunities for
improvements. This is such a great time for professional development on
an individual level. This is a great opportunity to improve my skills to
be better at what I do. That means I’m better for the organization I work
for, and it also opens up the potential for advancing my career. I talk
to a lot of coders who’d rather not learn it, but this is such a great chance
for coders and billers who feel stuck. ICD-10 opens a door for anyone to
advance their career.
“Don’t underestimate
the amount of testing you really need to do,” Vicky Monteith, RN, MBA,
Director at Deloitte’s ICD-10 consulting branch adds. “You can start
some of your training now to get your physicians and clinicians ready to use
terms that can be coded in ICD-10, and that really helps ease the burden as we
get a little closer.”
“Those organizations that have been most successful are those
who have started out with a very detailed work plan and timeline and a
committed governance structure,” says Christine Armstrong, RHIA, MBA,
Principal at Deloitte Consulting. “That includes senior leadership
supporting the effort. So making sure that you have senior level
commitment and support has really been a game changer for those who feel really
comfortable and are far ahead in their process.”
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