There
have been numerous delays to the implementation of ICD-10. These delays
have caused frustration but they have also created windows of opportunity for
healthcare practices and businesses of every kind. There are several
issues to consider while you readjust your ICD-10 timeline once again.
Key Considerations
for Your ICD-10 Timeline
Stay on Course
If you have already done a lot of work and have nearly
prepared your practice to accommodate the earlier start date, then it is not
necessary to change course. You can keep on preparing and simply be ready
early. This will give you plenty of opportunity to make the minor changes
that will certainly need to be implemented before the final date is reached.
Reduce Risk
Any transition of this magnitude, even in terms of
paperwork, poses significant risk to your business. Misapplication of the
new coding not only threatens lost income but an assortment of other
administrative and even legal issues. Use this new delay in the
compliance date to reassess your plan and ensure that everyone knows what is
going on.
Create a Testing Phase
If your business is like most, you make big plans for
preparation but often find yourself getting things done at the last moment.
This latest delay is an excellent opportunity to test your implementation
before you actually put it to work. You can no longer say that you did
not have all the time that you wanted to prepare your staff for an ICD
transition. There are clearinghouse test exchanges set up to receive
claims and provide feedback.
Train, Train, Train
A major complaint of many people directly involved in
preparing for ICD-10 compliance is the amount of training needed for staff to
implement it adequately. Computers will accept the new parameters almost
instantly, but education always takes time with your personnel. This
latest delay should provide more than enough time to train everyone in a
thorough fashion.
Adapt Your Technology
Obsolescent technology is a burden for companies both big
and small, especially during such transitions. Technology has a short
lifespan and this compliance delay has probably eclipsed at least one cycle of
technology replacement in your office. This issue is problematic because
you probably began to prepare for ICD-10 with a different set of computers or
software. A lot of businesses are just now beginning to integrate mobile
devices into their work culture. This delay gives everyone a chance to
ensure that all their devices are in sync with regard to ICD-10.
Investigate Cost
The purpose of these codes is to enable you to
communicate with CMS and bill them appropriately. The costs of preparing
for compliance have already eaten into your profit margin. Use this extra
time to analyze just how much this transition will cost before the compliance
date finally arrives. This will help you adjust your finances to the full
expense.
The delay in ICD-10 compliance is simultaneously
upsetting and liberating. Use the freedom to prepare your business and be
more than ready when it is time to initiate the new codes.
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