At the 10th Annual Orthopedic, Spine and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference in Chicago on June 15, Christy A. May and Kathy Lindstrom of ProVation gave a presentation titled “Physician Engagement and ICD-10: The Role of the Physician in a Succession Transition.” Ms. May and Ms. Lindstom discussed the timeline for ICD-10, 11 and 12 implementation over the next several years and explained the process. “Every country uses the same framework,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “It’s not just a United States thing; it’s a global thing.”
The World Health Organization creates and updates ICDs, and the transition between ICD-9 and ICD-10 is the most significant change implemented by the WHO, going from 7,000 codes to 12,500 codes. “WHO saw the future and the future was data,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “ICD -10 has been available since 1999 in the United States. It’s been revised twice since then and could be revised again going forward.”
It took the United States 10 years to modify ICD-10 and is now working on implementing the codes nationwide. ICD-11 will be rolled out in 2015. “The change from ICD-10 to ICD-11 isn’t as monumental,” said Ms. May. “However, you can’t just skip from ICD-9 to ICD-11.”
Administrators must believe the transition is going to happen. “You are never going to get your physicians to believe this is going to happen if you don’t,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “They won’t be a part of it.” They should also identify a physician leader to champion the ICD-10 transition. This physician should be someone who is the “data person” in the group. Begin transitioning the high volume physicians and diagnoses first so you continue getting paid for them going forward.
Physicians must understand what they need to add to their operative reports to make sure their coders can capture all the information for ICD-10 codes. “The physicians might say they already have that in their notes,” said Ms. May. “Look at their documentation today and see if you can code it; if you can, great. If not, see what the physicians need to improve on for ICD-10.”
Tell the physicians that documentation updates are for good patient care, not just for good coding. “If you are somewhere else where the doctor’s note might be the only legible thing coming through, the person on the other end should be able to decipher it,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “Your physicians may still say it is too hard, so you may want to look into an automated solution. When you are looking at software, make sure that it doesn’t lead the physicians in the wrong direction and that there are review options and areas they can skip if it isn’t pertinent for their case. Documentation is really a key piece for ICD-10 and where we are going in the future.”
Send coders to education programs to transition into ICD-10. Ms. Lindstrom said it should take an experienced coder 16 hours to become comfortable with the changes. “The books are relatively the same as it was when coders originally trained,” said Ms. May. “Everyone is learning together and working together to bounce ideas off each other.”
The World Health Organization creates and updates ICDs, and the transition between ICD-9 and ICD-10 is the most significant change implemented by the WHO, going from 7,000 codes to 12,500 codes. “WHO saw the future and the future was data,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “ICD -10 has been available since 1999 in the United States. It’s been revised twice since then and could be revised again going forward.”
It took the United States 10 years to modify ICD-10 and is now working on implementing the codes nationwide. ICD-11 will be rolled out in 2015. “The change from ICD-10 to ICD-11 isn’t as monumental,” said Ms. May. “However, you can’t just skip from ICD-9 to ICD-11.”
Administrators must believe the transition is going to happen. “You are never going to get your physicians to believe this is going to happen if you don’t,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “They won’t be a part of it.” They should also identify a physician leader to champion the ICD-10 transition. This physician should be someone who is the “data person” in the group. Begin transitioning the high volume physicians and diagnoses first so you continue getting paid for them going forward.
Physicians must understand what they need to add to their operative reports to make sure their coders can capture all the information for ICD-10 codes. “The physicians might say they already have that in their notes,” said Ms. May. “Look at their documentation today and see if you can code it; if you can, great. If not, see what the physicians need to improve on for ICD-10.”
Tell the physicians that documentation updates are for good patient care, not just for good coding. “If you are somewhere else where the doctor’s note might be the only legible thing coming through, the person on the other end should be able to decipher it,” said Ms. Lindstrom. “Your physicians may still say it is too hard, so you may want to look into an automated solution. When you are looking at software, make sure that it doesn’t lead the physicians in the wrong direction and that there are review options and areas they can skip if it isn’t pertinent for their case. Documentation is really a key piece for ICD-10 and where we are going in the future.”
Send coders to education programs to transition into ICD-10. Ms. Lindstrom said it should take an experienced coder 16 hours to become comfortable with the changes. “The books are relatively the same as it was when coders originally trained,” said Ms. May. “Everyone is learning together and working together to bounce ideas off each other.”