ICD-10 Readiness: Which Half Are You in Today?

Venetia M. Roy, CPC, CMPE
Senior Associate

Which Half Are You in Today?

In recent healthcare news, findings indicate that only about half of the provider groups currently in practice say they are ready for ICD-10. Although hospital systems are reporting that almost nine (9) out of ten (10) are ready for ICD-10, this may not include hospital-owned physician practices.

Below are some of the major steps the "READY" half says they have fully completed:

• Completion of internal analysis and external testing.
• Update of forms to allow for ICD-10 usage within their referral and pre-authorization processes, their lab interfaces, their charge posting and other critical areas that use diagnosis codes.
• Documentation by providers of sufficient clinical and anatomical detail, along with appropriate history of disease, illness or injury, to support ICD-10 codes.
• Testing of claims transmission with Medicare and major payers, verifying that their claims can be successfully transmitted through the clearinghouse and received for processing by the insurance plans.
• Completion of all software updates to allow for electronic payment posting, detailed collections reports and all related processes that will store or utilize ICD-10 codes.

If you have questions about ICD-10, contact Venetia Roy, Senior Associate, at vmr@medicalmanagement.com or 770-951-8427.