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| 7 WAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR ICD-10 PREP NOW THAT CMS CONFIRMS DEADLINE by: Roy Edroso Published Apr 29, 2013 Last Reviewed Apr 29, 2013 Coding CMS has given the whole industry a big heads-up on ICD-10, and many practices are behind schedule on preparedness. Don't panic, our experts say - but do grab the best available resources, and get to work fast. Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner confirmed at the recent HIMSS conference in New Orleans that the Oct. 1, 2014, ICD-10 deadline would not be delayed a second time (PBN 9/3/12). And in February, CMS put out guidelines and timelines that flatly state physician practices should have already finished some planning tasks - such as creating a project team, work plan and budget - and communications - such as contacting vendors and payers about ICD-10 - and at least have begun training a "test team" that will put their systems through their paces. Here are the first steps experts suggest you take if you're behind schedule: - Commit."There should be a clear decision made that the practice has to be ready for ICD-10," says Nachimson. "To get the project moving, it has to be identified as a priority." This decision has to come from the top of the decision chain and be clearly understood by everyone at the practice.The commitment should come with a project plan, a leader or leadership group and a budget, Nachimson says.
- Check your vendor products and contracts. The people your practice does business with must be up-to-date too. "Make sure their products are upgraded ASAP," Nachimson says. Find out also when their upgrades will be installed, he adds - and then arrange to do training and testing on them to make sure they work before the deadline.
- Use free information resources. Go to the Provider Resources and Medicare Fee-for-Service Resources listed in the left navigation bar on the CMS ICD-10 website (www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10). That's where Sue Bowman, senior director of coding policy and compliance for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), sends ICD-10 newbies.
- Talk to medical groups. Nearly every serious medical organization will have some outreach for providers looking for ICD-10 help, says Bowman. "A lot of physicians may not realize that the specificity and changes in the way clinical conditions are captured in ICD-10 actually comes from the physician community," she says, so in some ways, they're the best experts around. Typically, your state medical society can help. The Indiana State Medical Association, for example, holds ICD-10 coding symposia with special prices for members. Also contact national medical specialty societies relevant to your practice who can help with the codes you're most likely to use, Bowman recommends. Watch for AHIMA's own physician specialty-focused resources to educate physicians on documentation for ICD-10, which should be online at AHIMA's website (www.ahima.org) in the next few months.
- Find a collaborative. Are you in Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California, Idaho or Wisconsin? You're in luck - those states have ICD-10 "collaboratives" put together by local medical groups that offer membership to all providers. "They can clue you in on what other practices are doing" and "provide an opportunity for vendors, physicians and health plans to sit around a table and set up communications," Nachimson says. Be warned: Joining these collaboratives can cost money. California's annual membership fee ranges from $875 to $6,250, depending on the revenue and for-profit status of the member.
- Talk to hospitals. Because physician documentation goes to hospitals and vice versa, hospitals have a stake in educating providers in their area, says Bowman. "HIM [health information management] professionals are familiar with ICD-10 and are generally happy to help educate the physician community," she says. She recommends you talk to the hospital's health information department director and ask about having your staff meet with the facility's HIM staff.
- Consider a consultant. If you're really stuck, several organizations can help get you on track. The health information management consultancy Precyse Solutions in Wayne, Pa., for example, has a "Precyse University" that educates practices in several fields, including ICD-10, says Tom Ormondroyd, vice president, general manager, Precyse Learning Solutions. Precyse offers training tailored to all levels of staff, including non-clinicians such as receptionists who are not directly using codes but "have to know them because they'll see them," says Ormondroyd.
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