Health Information Management

Tip: Collaboration with physicians and payers key to ICD-10-CM readiness

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When the surprise delay came only six months prior to implementation, providers were at various stages of ICD-10 readiness.

Preparation consists of three major categories:

Technology providers, including EHR software vendors, integration partners such as labs, clearinghouses, and payers.
Processes, including clinical documentation, coding, revenue cycle management, and other office workflows, such as referrals.
People, including providers and clinicians, office managers, coders and billers, and other office staff.

Providers should ask their technology vendors these questions:

Can they currently accept ICD-10-CM codes? If not, when will that be possible?
Can providers dual code, submitting both ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes?
Do they provide clinical documentation tools to help code to the level of specificity ICD-10 requires?
Does the functionality fit in with the current practice workflow?
What is the cost of upgrading to an ICD-10-ready version of the current software?

Providers should also have a dedicated ICD-10 team, with clearly defined roles for project leaders and decision-makers.

This tip is adapted from “Collaboration with physicians and payers key to ICD-10-CM readiness” in the October issue of Briefings on APCs.

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