ICD-10 Readiness Assessment

By October 1, 2013, all healthcare organizations must submit claims for reimbursement using ICD-10 coding. For most organizations, the conversion to ICD-10 substantially overlaps the implementation of EHR systems and technologies to meet meaningful use.  Many organizations have discussed the impact of ICD-10 conversion in the traditional HIM department; however, most have not planned for the impact of ICD-10 beyond HIM.

Critical Questions to Ask Related to ICD-10 Conversion:

1. What departments, in addition to HIM, utilize coding information?
2. What systems are impacted by the change?
3. When will my vendors be ready to support the move?
4. How do we protect ourselves from an increase in A/R?
5. How should we involve our clinicians and physicians?

ICD-10 Organizational Review
The conversion to ICD-10 has the potential to improve the health data and information of the organization. However, these changes present several challenges and risks to healthcare organizations.  ICD-10 conversion will typically impact a number of business critical systems across the organization, all requiring coordinated timing with internal operations and vendor release schedules. The implementation and testing timeframes are relatively short. And, without proper planning and coordination, hospitals risk financial impacts in the form of slower or denied payments, incorrect reimbursement and increased audits.

The ICD-10 Organizational Review provides the framework for developing your conversion plan. In just a few short weeks, we will provide you with an assessment of your organization’s readiness to convert to ICD-10 including:

1. An overview of processes impacted by the move to ICD-10 and recommended changes
2. An overview of systems impacted and recommended upgrade timing and testing approach
3. An assessment of training needs, including training beyond traditional HIM staff
4. Summary of prioritized tasks and activities required to successfully convert to ICD-10

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