1st Providers Choice Helps Practices Prepare for ICD-10

The ICD-10 compliance date is less than three months away, and many healthcare organizations are still struggling to complete key steps in the implementation process. Software vendors, like 1st Providers Choice, are prepared to help by providing ICD-10 ready practice management software and assistance with ICD-10 claims testing.

ICD-10, the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, will officially replace ICD-9, the current version in the United States, beginning on October 1, 2015. At that time, all HIPAA covered entities will be required to start using the new code set to code diagnoses and procedures*. Failure to do so could result in a delay in payment, as it will not be possible to process ICD-9 claims.

The difficulty for many practices will be in getting used to the thousands of new codes. ICD-10 has more than 68,000 diagnostic codes, compared about 13,000 in ICD-9. Not only that, but providers will also need to be more specific in their coding – for example, by distinguishing between the left and right side of the body.

*ICD-10-CM codes will be used for all inpatient and outpatient diagnoses. ICD-10-PCS will only be used by hospitals for inpatient procedures. CPT will be used by all healthcare providers for outpatient procedures.

ICD-10 Readiness Among Hospitals & Practices

According to a survey by the eHealth Initiative and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), 72 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed have trained staff on ICD-10, and about 50 percent have conducted test transactions with clearinghouses and payers. Furthermore, over 80 percent have conducted or have plans to conduct end-to-end testing.

The problem lies in the disparities between hospitals and physician practices. While larger organizations tend to be further along in the ICD-10 preparation process, smaller practices, overall, are a lot less prepared. In fact, 85 percent of hospitals have trained staff on using ICD-10, compared to only 41 percent of physician practices.

The good news is that there is still plenty of time for practices to adequately prepare – not only by taking advantage of free resources online, but by working with an ICD-10 ready software vendor.

Vendor Assistance with ICD-10 Testing & Training

1st Providers Choice is committed to working with physician practices in order to facilitate the transition to ICD-10. We help with software setup, implementation, training and testing by assigning an ICD-10 expert to each practice.

We also provide ICD-10 guidance and help practices understand all there is to know about transitioning to the new code set, including announcements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Need help preparing for the October 1st deadline? Call 480-782-1116 today to speak with an ICD-10 expert.