There has been a lot written about the unpreparedness of healthcare providers for the October 2013 deadline of the ICD-10 coding transition. I admit it, some of that has been here and by me. However, the closer we get to the deadline the more the news and surveys are reporting that healthcare IT departments are making preparations.
This time of year I read a lot of trends and reviews. What happened last year and what will happen in the coming year is a popular topic and it is in fact a good time to take stock and think about initiatives for the year ahead. So here is what I see coming down the road for 2012.
The House of Delegates of the American Medical Association (AMA) recently voted to “work vigorously” to stop the implementation of ICD-10 diagnostic coding system. This new classification of diseases contains five times the number of codes and its implementation is slated for October 2013. The resolution believes it will present significant burdens on the practice of medicine.
T-System, Inc. has acquired Practice Management Associates who specialized in providing coding and billing services for emergency departments.
With the October 2013 deadline looming for the ICD-10 coding classification transition, it should be no surprise that training is kicking into high speed. ICD-10 Coders Academy & ICD-10 Connect have jointly developed a "Hybrid Training Model," a combination of ICD-10 Online & Onsite training.
With the many and varied health IT initiatives in progress or around the bend, healthcare organizations fight a tough battle just keeping up. Business intelligence software might be the solution.
Never before in healthcare has one specific field gotten such a boost of job security; at least if they are up to date on their training. With the impending October 2013 of the ICD-10 coding classification transition, medical coding and billing have become very popular careers.
A recent survey revealed two-thirds of organizations cannot access their information assets or find vital enterprise documents because of poor information classification or 'tagging'. Having difficulty accessing your information or in short, with findability, is a fixable problem.
This is not a time to be subtle. That is what Stephen M. Stewart, CIO of Iowa-based Henry County Health Center, writes in Hospitals & Health Networks, this week. Steward was referring to the importance of impending ICD-10 classification transition.
In a recent survey of healthcare payers, 35% of respondents listed cost or return on investment as their top concern with implementing new, organization-wide IT systems. This is even more disconcerting as many health insurers will need to upgrade their IT infrastructure in the next few years to meet mandates such as the ICD-10 classification transition that is due by October 2013.