October 1, 2015 is a big date. Things will change. Be prepared!
AthenaHealth recently hosted a webinar on transitioning to ICD-10. According to AthenaHealth, "the new code set, ICD-10, increases the number of reporting codes from about 13,600 to more than 69,000"; so as you can see, there are some complexities to changing from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
As you can see in the increase in number of reporting codes, there will be an increase in reporting detail with ICD-10. This transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 could be very costly for your organization, but there are some preventative measures you can take as a precautionary step.
As a precaution, you and your organization need to converse with your vendor and keep up with the vendor as you transition to ICD-10.
In order to avoid unnecessary costs and headaches, you should ask your vendor some important questions. Here are some helpful questions you should ask your vendor to allow for a smoother transition to ICD-10:
- What is covered by contracts?
- What are plans and timelines?
- How will systems work with both ICD-9 and ICD-10?
- What does implementation process entail?
- What are costs, if any, for training and support in shift to ICD-10?
Info gathered at AthenaHealth webinar. For more info on AthenaHealth visit their website http://www.athenahealth.com/