Start your ICD-10 plan in 5 simple steps

It’s less than 10 months until the ICD-10 deadline, but many healthcare providers are finding it difficult to get started with their ICD-10 planning. Others have started their efforts, but a transition of this magnitude can be overwhelming, and many don’t know what the next step should be.

Whether you’re stuck in the middle of planning or still trying to get started, here are five steps to help make your ICD-10 plan more manageable:

1. Identify all the places where your facility uses ICD-9 in current workflow. Some examples of areas where ICD-10 will impact are clinical documentation, EHRs, superbills, paper claims, electronic claims and reporting for government agencies. Wherever ICD-9 is used, there will be an ICD-10 impact, so identifying these areas now will help you plan how to transition them.
2. Conduct a gap analysis to understand where you need to be by October 1, 2014. The results of the analysis will help identify any gaps within your workflows, documents and technology systems that will make it difficult to transition to ICD-10. You’ll need to focus your preparations here to avoid any negative impacts, such as delays in reimbursement or inefficient use of staff time.
3. Identify solutions that can help your organization transition in these areas, such as new coding books, new superbills and new paper claim forms. For nearly every provider, these solutions should include updating your existing software to accommodate ICD-10 codes. For physician practices, your practice management software vendor and your clearinghouse may have already notified you about how they are updating their systems for ICD-10. If you haven’t done so, contact your vendors to learn whether you need to install new upgrades for ICD-10. In addition, you need to think about how you will train clinical and front office staff for ICD-10. Some industry associations, such as AAPC, offer training boot camps to get your staff up to speed. Other organizations, including CMS, offer ICD-10 resources on their websites for you to use to help prepare staff.
4. Outline your ICD-10 plan. Start by listing the solutions you plan to pursue, steps needed to implement them, expected cost for each step and timeline for completion. This will help you budget your time and resources appropriately. Industry research estimates that transitioning to ICD-10 will cost the average 10 physician practices more than $200,000. In addition to the costs associated with preparation, providers will experience delayed reimbursements and decreased productivity once ICD-10 takes place. It’s recommended that you secure a line of credit at least six months prior to the ICD-10 deadline so you can keep your practice afloat.
5. Implement your ICD-10 plan. This will include training your staff, learning how to use new versions of your EHRs, installing software upgrades, adjusting internal processes, testing your claims with your clearinghouse or payers, and establishing a line of credit.

Planning for ICD-10 is overwhelming, but attempting the transition without a well-organized plan could be catastrophic for your organization. I encourage you to take the time now to organize your efforts, one step at a time, to ensure you are ready for the deadline.