ICD-10 Testing & Training Procrastination: 98 Days Until the Deadline

by Margaret Klasa DC, APN BC
Jun 25, 2015, 11:57 AM

Do you ever have that nightmare where you are back at school, sweating at your locker trying to find your school books to study for the test that is coming up in minutes and then the bell rings and you wake up?

Providers, are you having that nightmare now about the ICD-10 code transition? Are you secretly deep down inside crossing your fingers that there will be a delay or some type of miracle at the last minute so that you don’t have to worry about it? Well, unfortunately, even with a couple of bills floating around Congress, that may not happen and you will not be waking up at the last minute! However, you are not alone in your procrastination or hope for this coding transition to not happen on October 1, 2015.Just recently during the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) MLN Connects National Provider Call, “ICD-10: Preparing for Implementation and New ICD-10-PCS Section X,” many providers had questions regarding testing with payers and internally and having training materials geared towards their care setting or specialty.

Even for those procrastinating, as many provider surveys out there have shown, the bell has not rung yet! The time is now to get your training, tools and experts on board. These challenges to the new coding model can be mitigated by education, outsource coding to coding companies, and utilizing coding tools.

In the recent 2015 survey by the eHealth Initiative in conjunction with AHIMA, providers have completed many key steps in the implementation process, but still lag behind in testing and survey results suggest the growing recognition of the value of ICD-10 but many providers expect to continue managing the impact of ICD-10 following the deadline. Physician practices are lagging behind hospitals in regards to testing both internally and externally and training of staff on ICD-10 code sets.^{1

¹Source: eHealth Initiative, “ICD-10 Survey Results Webinar” June 17, 2015.}

Context⁴ Healthcare, Inc. can help you with your ICD-10 training and testing issues. We know that the strength of your revenue cycle performance relies on your ability to focus on coding, documentation, and compliance. Getting paid quickly and correctly relies on accurately translating the language of clinical care into the dialect of claims adjudication. We also know that becoming ICD-10 compliant can happen without turning your business upside down.

For a related Compliance Edge blog article, check out Context 4 Healthcare, Inc. Can Solve Your GEM of an ICD-10 Problem.