Here are three best practices for preparing to adopt ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2014, according to EHR Intelligence.
1. Assess your hardware, software and data infrastructure needs. When ICD-10 takes effect, all of your vendors, physicians and payors will need to have coordinated technology to properly process all claims. All software will need to support the new system, including EHR software. Keep in touch with payors and vendors to make sure they are on track to meet the October deadline.
2. Start thinking about education and training. Despite the implementation deadline extension, don't put off employee training. Experts suggest starting education now and working with coders in small fragments. Physicians will also need to change the way they document procedures. Starting now can help them slowly adjust until 2014.
3. Consult with decision makers in your organization. Any big changes in a healthcare organization will require involvement from all levels of personnel. It's crucial to have executive decision makers on board to affect any change. Have all necessary people involved from the start to ensure the smoothest, most cost-effective transition.
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1. Assess your hardware, software and data infrastructure needs. When ICD-10 takes effect, all of your vendors, physicians and payors will need to have coordinated technology to properly process all claims. All software will need to support the new system, including EHR software. Keep in touch with payors and vendors to make sure they are on track to meet the October deadline.
2. Start thinking about education and training. Despite the implementation deadline extension, don't put off employee training. Experts suggest starting education now and working with coders in small fragments. Physicians will also need to change the way they document procedures. Starting now can help them slowly adjust until 2014.
3. Consult with decision makers in your organization. Any big changes in a healthcare organization will require involvement from all levels of personnel. It's crucial to have executive decision makers on board to affect any change. Have all necessary people involved from the start to ensure the smoothest, most cost-effective transition.
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