ICD-10 & Coding

Working in a hospital IT department is no walk in the park. Teams who were named to our 2013 Best Hospital IT Departments list opened up about how they keep employees motivated, retain top talent and meet a laundry list of deadlines -- all without losing their minds.

The top ICD-10 takeaway from the AHIMA Convention and Exhibit is that the industry's readiness still comprises all the points between not-knowing and already prepared.

Physicians and other healthcare professionals will have to employ much more accurate and specific documentation of their care if ICD-10 coding is to work right, speakers asserted in an education session at the AHIMA Convention and Exhibit.

After nearly 20 years as a CIO, I've learned that even with the best people, best planning and appropriate budgets, large, complex projects encounter issues imposed by external factors that cannot be predicted during initial project scheduling.

Before you know it, the ICD-10 go-live date of October 2014 will be here, and for those 55 percent of physicians who have yet to begin implementation, it's looking like a rocky road ahead.

This year's Medical Group Management Association annual conference is all about getting down to the nitty-gritty, said Robert Tennant, MGMA's senior policy advisor.

Updating hardware and implementing software programs are perhaps the most visible elements of the digital transition, but an equally important shift is happening more or less behind the scenes in the world of coding.

Healthcare providers may face disruptions in their payments even if they are on target to operate using ICD-10 codes on Oct. 1, 2014. Experts advise having up to several months' cash reserves or access to cash through a loan or line of credit to avoid potential headaches.

SNOMED was so important to healthcare's switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 medical coding, ONC Chief Farzad Mostashari, MD says, that he was willing to support the one-year delay to achieve the necessary crosswalks. This system of nomenclature can lay the groundwork and foundation for much better, more granular clinical documentation, he said.

If there was an overarching theme at the HIMSS Media/Healthcare IT News ICD-10 Forum on June 17, it was this: Don't wait to get your house in order for ICD-10. Though the Oct. 1, 2014 deadline for the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is more than a year away, most of that time will be required for getting ready, experts warn.