ICD-10 will be here in a few short months.  The deadline for implementation is October 1, 2014.  Have you begun your ICD-10 implementation plan yet?  Do you know where to start? It is a very daunting task and overwhelming just to think about for most providers.  There are some simple things you can do to pave the way for a successful ICD-10 transition.

Developing a communication and awareness plan for your office is very important.  This will ensure that all employees understand what ICD-10 is and when it must be implemented.  Your communication plan should include:

1. The purpose of the project, provide ICD-10 background information and clearly describe the current state of ICD-10 progress in your organization, identify goals for the communication and awareness plan and explain the purpose and expected outcomes of the transition. An introduction to ICD-10 can be found at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/Downloads/ICD10Introduction.pdf This would be a good place to start with educational material.  You can print the background and history for your staff education.
2. Identify all parties involved in the ICD-10 transition.  For internal staff, you will need to establish a process to communicate governance issues to leaders and assess staff training needs.  Coordinate with external groups such as software vendors, clearinghouses and state agencies about implementation updates and changes required in your systems and business processes.
3. Be clear and consistent about what you say.  Focusing on specific steps and actions that need to happen for the ICD-10 transition.
4. Outline your organization’s protocol for identifying potential implementation issues and provide a plan for correcting them.
5. Clearly assign and define communication roles and responsibilities to everyone involved in the transition.
6. Identify project milestones, secondary tasks and deadlines.  Be certain all project teams know what they will need to do.  Develop back up plans for each milestone to help you handle potential problems.
7. Think about how to best communicate within your organization.  Emails, in-person meetings and conference calls may all be effective.  [i]

A very important step in preparation is to speak with your software vendors, clearinghouses or billing services you may use to ensure that they are ready to provide the support you need. Your vendors will need to have products and services on a schedule that allows adequate time for you to conduct testing. You need to begin the dialogue with your vendors now.  Some important questions to be asking include:

1. Will they have fully functional, compliant products ready in plenty of time to allow for thorough ICD-10 testing?
2. How will they help you avoid potential reimbursement issues and interruptions to workflow?
3. Will you need any system upgrade or replacement to accommodate ICD-10?
4. What are the costs involved in upgrading to ICD-10?
5. What kind of customer support and training will they provide, if any?
6. How will their product and services accommodate both ICD-9 and ICD-10 as you work with claims for services provided both before and after the deadline for ICD-10?[ii]

This is just a beginning look at the ICD-10 implementation process.  The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided tools, timelines and resources for ICD-10 implementation for providers.  These resources can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/ProviderResources.html.

If you haven’t started your implementation process, it is not too late.  Begin now and you will be ready when October 1, 2014 arrives.  It will be here before you know it!  Keep up with ICD-9 updates regularly at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/CMS_ICD-10_Industry_Email_Updates.html.

[i] https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/Downloads/ICD10CommunicationAwarenessPlan.pdf

[ii] https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/Downloads/ICD10TalkingtoVendorforMedicalPractices.pdf