Planning for ICD-10

Planning for ICD-10

Planning for ICD-10 is a five phase process. To fully implement and test ICD-10 in your clinic or organization could take up to six months. It is best to start planning now. Here is an overview of the five phases:

Phase 1: Create awareness throughout your organization

This is the phase where you educate the providers,  medical staff and billing staff about the impacts associated with the change to ICD-10.

Phase 2: Organize the implementation effort

This phase includes:

• an organizational readiness survey sent to the various departments and payers associated with the clinic.
• A chart review done to assess the current documentation shortfalls that will effect ICD-10 coding documentation, and
• an Impact assessment 

The Impact Assessment can take two to three months. The results drive the action items that become part of the project plan.

Phase 3: Create a project plan

In this phase you create live estimates for budgets for specific areas of the project. Being able to estimate the budget for ICD-10 is one of the biggest challenges.

Phase 4: Project Implementation

This is where you review the budget in real-time and print and distribute the plan.

Phase 5: Monitor ICD-10 Submissions and Receipt

In this phase you monitor key benchmarks for trending in ICD-10. Problem areas are identified by monitoring payer decreases and delays. Action items are then created and acted on.

This project plan can be created automatically using the Ready-10 project management tool offered as part of Meaningful Use Experts ICD-10 Implementation services.