ICD-10 Strategic Planning & Remediation Management

A major change is about to occur impacting all healthcare organizations using the ICD-9 system for classification of patient diagnoses and procedures. The transition to ICD-10 On October 1, 2013 confronts the healthcare industry with immense challenges that will require considerable alterations to organizational processes and documentation. Although the remediation efforts needed to adjust information systems for patient accounting and claims processing to accommodate ICD-10 will be similar for both payers and providers, providers are faced with additional and unique challenges.

Provider organizations use ICD-9 codes within many information systems beyond those that manage accounting processes for patient services. Clinical systems, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), analytics program and applications for Quality Assurance, Risk Management, Patent Safety, Infection Control; and Case Management are only a few of the systems that will be affected. All of these applications will require upgrading, employees will need to be trained, documentation protocols changed and workflows altered to prepare for the use of ICD-10 codes. Within provider organizations, there are also many non-computerized processes in place for identifying a patient’s diagnoses and the procedures he receives that will be affected by the transition to ICD-10. In addition, providers typically have business contracts and agreements with other organizations based on specific patient populations (currently defined by ICD-9 codes). In order to prevent severe disruption to the business of caring for patients, provider entities must assess their entire organization to identify the current use of ICD-9 and determine what needs to be changed to use ICD-10 coding.

The successful transition to ICD-10 requires strong strategic planning, superior project management, and skilled resources to ensure that organizations not only comply with this regulatory change but, also, benefit from the advantages and efficiencies that ICD=promises. FluidEdge is the partner with the experience and proven methodologies to help your organization use successfully use ICD-10 to ensure accurate reimbursement, avoid disruption to patient care processes, and enhance the specificity of clinical documentation. FluidEdge guides its provider clients from assessment through remediation to a efficient ICD-q transition, providing benefits across the entire organization to enhance both the clinical and business aspects of delivering patient care.