Have You Created A Plan To Transition To ICD-10 Yet?

If you haven’t started preparing for ICD10 , then today is the time to start preparations.  October 2015 may seem like a long time from now, but it will sneak up on you if you aren’t being proactive.  The transition to ICD-10 will require significant changes of everyone in your practice.  If you look on the internet you will find a lot of different advice on what to do to get prepared.  You will probably find so much that it will become confusing on what you really need to do to get ready for the transition.

We have created two simple documents designed to cut through all the boring details and get you the basic information that you need in a simple format.

How Will ICD-10 Effect Those Working At Your Practice?

Take a look at this quick overview of how Icd10 will impact different staff members and the Physician at your small practice.  This will give you a brief explanation of what you will need to do differently in your workflow. Go Ahead and print a copy for each member of your staff so everyone is on the same boat- because lets face it- most people think that this is a “biller’s problem” but that is not true.

Where Does Your Plan Begin?

Now properly equipped with a brief overview, check out this 2 page ICD-10 guide to help you create your plan.  It’s more like a checklist to help you identify key items that need to be addressed in order to get you ready for the transition. Print it off and start checking- the list is short and sweet but that doesn’t mean that it won’t require time and effort to get the things done- so don’t be fooled into thinking you can wait until the last minute.

Use both of these documents to help you get focused and un-lost from all of the 1000’s of pages of information out there about ICD-10. Seriously- print these off and hang them up in your office to remind yourself and those in the practice of what has to happen.

Won’t My Software Handle The ICD-10 Update For Me?

It is true that you will need a new version of software that is ICD-10 ready, but that is only one piece of the puzzle.  You MUST be personally involved in the planning and preparations.  The ICD-10 change will require far more planning and effort than previous updates.

Physician documentation is the first point of impact for this new code set.  If the physician doesn’t capture the new level of detail required to support an ICD-10 claim in his patient visit notes, there is little that can be done down the line to get the claim coded correctly.  Without proper supporting detail, the claim is likely to be rejected.

For example: Under ICD-9, code 729.5 covers “pain in the limb.”  Under ICD-10, it explodes into 31 possible selections based on which limb and which side of the body.  In ICD-9, there are 17,000 codes.  In ICD-10-CM there are 140,000 codes.  This explosion of “specificity” will have a profound impact on the physician’s practice.

This transition is unlike every other change you have gone through before.  ICD-10 will change everything!  Make sure your practice is making preparations now so that you aren’t panicking next fall.

In some articles we’ll post soon we’ll go over some other resources that are available that can help your practice get ready for the transition.

If your practice has a plan already, or if you are working on it, let us know what you’ve been doing to get ready.  Share with us in the comments section below what you’ve been doing that is working or what you’ve done that isn’t working to get ready.  We can all learn together.

Looking For More Information?

If you are looking for one central spot to serve as your resource of all resources to help you along the way then the website www.roadto10.org is your best bet.  It is a nice one stop shop for all things ICD-10 and could be very helpful to you.  It is there and ready for you to check it out.