ICD-10:
It's Not Just the Coders' Problem
(1/24/2012)
MEDITECH hosts
a discussion of ICD-10 preparedness at the ACPE conference.
The new ICD-10 Clinical Modification
and Procedure Classification System has been on the minds of
healthcare financial staff for quite some time, but did you
know that ICD-10 will also force physicians to make drastic
changes to their workflow? In order to get their staffs ready
in time for the October 1, 2013 deadline, it will be up to
physician leaders to help guide their colleagues through this
paradigm shift.
MEDITECH tackled this issue at the recent American College of
Physician Executives (ACPE) Fall Institute, by hosting a
focus group discussion on ICD-10 preparedness. Debra
Stottlemyer, MD, MBA, FACP, a corporate physician
informaticist for Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), led the
session by focusing on how organizations can prepare their
medical staffs for both the ICD-10 conversion and other
standard nomenclature implementations.
In the shift to ICD-10, Stottlemyer believes that education
will be one of the biggest challenges. "It is hard to
pinpoint the right amount of information needed, as different
healthcare professionals will need varying levels of
knowledge," she explains. "One thing that is
certain, however, is that coders and physicians will need the
most education."
Physician attendees were encouraged to participate throughout
the discussion by sharing their own thoughts and experiences
so far with ICD-10. Many shared that their organization has
yet to form an ICD-10 team, but they were hopeful that
MEDITECH could offer them support. "Physicians are
overwhelmed, and they want guidance from their EHR vendor,"
says Stottlemyer. "With roughly 70,000 new codes to
choose from as compared to the 13,000 in ICD-9, they want
more than just implementation help, but robust decision
support at the time of diagnosis selection."
MEDITECH wants our customers to know we are here to help you!
We have the tools you need to ensure a successful ICD-10
conversion. Check out our ICD-10 recommendations to make sure you're on the
right track.
MEDITECH
Medical
Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com