All Entries Tagged With: "ICD-10 implementation"
Check out AHIMA’s implementation preparation checklist
There are a number of ICD-10 checklists floating around out there in cyberspace, but this one created by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and included in a recent CMS presentation is one of the best ones I’ve seen. The AHIMA suggests the following checklist when performing an ICD-10 impact assessment:
- Establish interdisciplinary steering committee to oversee implementation
- Educate affected departments and individuals about the change in code sets and what it meansfor their area of responsibility (both in terms of
- preparation planning and benefits)
- Assess organizational readiness for the change to the ICD-10 code set
- Assess impact of change on organizational operations
- Assess staff education needs
- Identify reports and forms requiring modification (e.g., physician practice superbill)
- Assess extent of changes to systems, processes, policies/procedures
- Use code set change as opportunity to improve data flow, work flows, and processes
- Perform comprehensive systems audit for ICD-10 compatibility
- Determine vendor readiness and timeline for upgrading software to new code sets
- Assess quality of medical record documentation and implement documentation improvement program if necessary
- Develop implementation budget
But it’s good to look at this checklist as a skeleton upon which to build your own impact assessment because it’s easy to see how each one of these bullets could have its own subset of smaller checklists. Do you have a checklist you would like to share? Post a comment, your checklist, or the Web link to the checklist so we can all take a look!
Do you have an ICD-10 tale to tell?
Although the U.S. healthcare community is bracing themselves for this massive switch to ICD-10 in 2013, many other countries have already been through it. For example, providers in Canada transitioned to ICD-10 in 2001. Are you a vendor, payer, provider, or other expert who experienced the transition to ICD-10 in Canada? We want to hear your story! What are your lessons learned, and what steps did you take to ensure a successful transition to this new coding system? Interested in sharing your experience with our ICD-10 Watch community? Please e-mail me at dbentley@hcpro.com.
3M releases ICD-10 code translation tool
On September 16, 3M Health Information Systems announced that it had released the 3M™ ICD-10 Code Translation Tool, a new software application that helps convert ICD-9 based applications to ICD-10. The software assists providers and payers in translating ICD-9 codes from existing information systems into the language of ICD-10.
“Since patient care, revenue cycle, quality and coding functions must continue during the transition, it’s essential that organizations have a comprehensive strategy for converting existing ICD-9 applications to ICD-10 based applications,” said Tom Anastasio, senior vice president of provider markets for 3M Health Information Systems. “Translating systems, reports and records—any application where ICD-9 codes are used—will provide critical information that providers and payers can use immediately to educate staff, update processes, and prepare for a successful ICD-10 implementation.”
The 3M ICD-10 Code Translation Tool can be used to convert existing systems and software applications to ICD-10, or to create customized mappings for specific business needs. The 3M ICD-10 Code Translation Tool identifies all reasonable ICD-10 alternatives for the ICD-9 codes held in an information system, and performs automated mappings where a simple one-to-one map exists. The software then isolates the remaining complex codes and provides the user with reference data to assist in fine-tuning the final conversions to ICD-10.
Under contract with CMS, 3M developed the ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (PCS) and the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs), and produced the initial conversion of MS-DRGs to ICD-10.
Learn more about the ICD-10 Code Translation tool by accessing the 3M Web site.
CMS posts ICD-10 presentation for physicians
CMS recently posted on its Web site a presentation titled “Introduction to ICD-10-CM/PCS: For Physician Specialty Group Representatives.”
In addition to CMS representative Pat Brooks, a number of speakers from other organizations also led the presentation: Donna Pickett from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Lee Hilborne of the UCLA Health System and RAND Corporation, Deborah Grider of the American Academy of Professional Coders (an ICD-10 Watch blog contributor), Sue Bowman of the American Health Information Management Association, and Nelly Leon-Chisen of the American Hospital Association.
In the presentation, CMS discussed information to:
- Assist in crafting messages for your members regarding ICD-10 implementation and how to begin preparing for this transition
- Describe what implementation of ICD-10 will mean for physicians’ offices
- Provide guidance on how ICD-10 implementation can be approached so as not to overwhelm the physician community
- Provide information that will reassure the physician community that implementing ICD-10 will not require changes in medical practice
- Describe common myths about ICD-10 implementation and provide accurate information
- Describe coding resources that are available
What kind of feedback have your physicians conveyed to you regarding the coming transition to ICD-10? How are you engaging physicians and getting them involved in the plan for implementation?
AAPC to host free Webinars
The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) will host later this week and next week a three-part Webinar series for providers and a two-part series for payers. These Webinars are designed to assist physicians, managers, coders, health plans, and other health care professionals toward a successful implementation of ICD-10.
These Webinars will provide implementation guidance steps to help with the transition. The Webinars are presented at no cost as a service to the health care community and will be available for download after each Webinar session for later reference. It is vitally important to begin preparing for ICD-10 now.
ICD-10 implementation amounts to much more than just asking your vendors for a software update. With the expanded specificity of ICD-10, our new coding system will change how providers document in the medical record, change medical payment policies, and may change contracting with health plans as well. It is not time to begin learning the code set, but it is time to begin planning.
Provider Webinar (Three-part series):
Part I-Thursday, July 16 (1 p.m. EST)
Part II-Thursday, July 23 (1 p.m. EST)
Part III-Thursday, July 30 (1 p.m. EST)
The provider Webinar series has already reached its limit of 1,000 registrants, however you can still register to be alerted in case space opens up. And of course, the presentation will be available soon after the series. But it’s not too late to register for the payer Webinar series.
Payer Webinar (Two-part series):
Part I-Tuesday, July 21 (1 p.m., EST)
Part II-Tuesday, July 28 (1 p.m. EST)
Look for ICD-10 sessions that go beyond the basics
You might be far enough along in your ICD-10 implementation timeline to attend some informational sessions that go beyond the basics. “You’re going to see more companies advertising functional learning as opposed to theoretical sessions,” says Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, director of coding and HIM at HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA.
Just to provide some examples, I’ll highlight two that I recently came across:
- The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) will host a conference July 28-30 in Fairfax, VA, titled, “Advancing Along the Implementation Highway: The Road Map to Success” covering implementation of the HIPAA 5010 transaction sets and the ICD-10 code sets.
“This will not be a 101-level session on the 5010 transactions or the differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10,” according to WEDI. “Instead, come prepared to discuss and develop ‘working solutions’ to business impacts in sessions that invite your input.”
HIPAA 5010 sessions will cover a range of topics, including:
- Transactions/implementation issues
- How to influence senior executives to make 5010 a priority now
- What Level I compliance means
- Medicare EDI front-end changes
- Development of test scenarios
ICD-10 sessions will cover a range of topics, including:
- Crosswalks
- Testing
- The impact assessment process
- Project team formation and structure
- Clinical considerations
- The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium is hosting an information session in Waltham, MA, on June 23 titled, “Preparing for ICD-10 Implementation, ” during which two CMS regional representatives will offer their thoughts on how ICD-10 will affect Massachusetts healthcare organizations. What are the implications of ICD-10 for your organization? How will it affect patient care, office efficiency, and healthcare organization revenue?
Look for similar sessions in your area. Check with local, regional, and national associations.
