title: Preparing your practice for ICD-10.
abstract: In August 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services ruled that the ICD-10 implementation deadline would be postponed to October 1,2014. Even with this extended deadline, providers should begin preparing for the transition now. This article delivers advice to help providers with ICD-10, with suggestions such as identifying how different areas of your business could be impacted by ICD-10 and considering how to establish new processes to avoid reimbursement delays. Providers also should start training staff to familiarize them with ICD-10 codes, and collaborate with practice management system vendors to ensure they can handle ICD-10 claims. While the transition to ICD-10 will require significant preparation from providers and the rest of the industry, we will see real benefits once ICD-10 has been fully implemented, including better documentation of clinical data, greater consistency in reporting of public health trends, and reduced number of rejected claims due to coding inefficiencies.
authors.affiliation: Premier Accounts and Vendor Partners, Gateway EDI, USA. sguffey-bangert@gatewayedi.com
authors.forename: Shelly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guffey
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duchek
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services