HIM directors can always do more to gear up for the super transition into ICD-10 next year. In fact, one way you can begin preparing is to pinpoint specific elements in ICD-9 that already exist in the record and will be documentation and coding musts once the new code set arrives.
Managing coders is challenging enough when you work with them face to face. Manage them when they are off-site, though, and you've got a whole new set of challenges. You may rarely have the chance to shake their hand, see them smile, or read their body language in meetings. Are they productive? Are they happy? If you can't reach them, do you know what's going on?
As an HIM director, you are responsible for the integrity of your patients' records-even when your hospital shuts down certain wings of the facility or closes its doors entirely.
