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The ICD-10 conversion deadline—October 1, 2015—is bearing down on us: Are you sufficiently panicked yet? The fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) spread in the industry likely has you awake; however, even if you haven’t made much progress on remediation until now, you can still attain in “good enough” ICD-10 compliant status in time. To do so, though, you’ll need to prioritize, assess, target, and coordinate so that the precious time left is used expeditiously.
Make it a priority
Your organization has many other initiatives underway, but ICD-10 conversion at this juncture ICD-10 compliance is simply a must. This means you’ll need even greater:
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Clarity of goals |
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Communication |
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Coordination |
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Executive support |
Assess early and often
Up front analyses are key to target your initiatives where they are most needed. Every application, almost, can offer ICD code functionality, but not all this functionality is critical for ICD-10 compliance. Also, many of your organization’s units don’t and won’t use ICD codes in their workflows even if the applications enable it.
Know your vulnerabilities to ICD-10:
Identify which systems absolutely need ICD-10 compliant versions, and move on these. At the same time look for applications and use areas where remediation can wait. |
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- Focus on handoffs to external parties. Frequently application either don’t send messages to external parties, or the messages can be intercepted and remediated to new standards before being sent out. External electronic communication is what the HIPAA requirement covers, nothing more.
- Look for workarounds. “Automagic” processes might allow manual intervention to ensure proper ICD-10 codes get attached to HIPAA Standard Messages. For example, one provider found that moving to an ICD-10 remediated system now would collide directly with other priorities for key staff and capital budgets, while generating conflicts with physicians. With some creative thinking, alternatives using the current, “noncompliant” version were created.
- Bringing diverse voices into the mix. Varied perspectives might generate more creative, less imposing solutions.
Pay attention to revenue vulnerabilities:
- Move to specific documentation. Key, to avoiding denials and delayed care, is setting and documenting care with sufficient specificity. Have you enabled providers to document well by giving them good coding aids? Remember that there are over 150,000 terms now, and only super humans will master this without tools that mesh neatly into busy workflows. Software tools can help.
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- Know the vulnerabilities in terms of codes. Coders must know what to watch out for, as missteps can be costly. Again, computer tools with flags can help.
Communicate early and often
FUD is widespread, and only some of the fear is justified. Many health care actors will only be impacted in minor ways. Reassure your staff while preparing them.
You can get there in time
We’re here to help. IT Optimizers offers a variety of ICD-10 Project Services that range from ICD-10 Readiness Attestation to Interim Leadership for ICD-10 Program Management.▪
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