Even though it is still two and a half years away, it’s not too early to begin preparation for the October 1, 2013, transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS. There’s much to do in concert with HIM professionals to develop the knowledge base and documentation infrastructure essential to accurate ICD-10-CM/PCS code capture and reporting.
“In my opinion, [ICD-10 implementation] is the biggest change in healthcare since the implementation of DRGs back in the early ’80s,” said Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, CCDS, director of HIM and coding at HCPro, Inc., in Danvers, MA. McCall and Lolita M. Jones, RHIA, CCS, independent consultant in Fort Washington, MD, spoke during HCPro’s November 18 audio conference, “ICD-10-PCS Surgery Coding: Understand and Apply Five Medical Surgical Root Operations.”
The last thing you need is more to do, but when it comes to preparing your HIM department for EHR go-live, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
