The transition to ICD-10 is not in any way the kind of transition we made from ICD-8 to ICD-9, nor is it a simple matter of training coders and installing a new encoder.
Qualifying for EHR meaningful use incentive dollars is no easy feat. A provider needs to be an eligible professional or hospital under the Medicare or Medicaid programs, with the latter also dependent on whether the provider’s state participates in the program. The EHR technologies the provider uses must be certified, and the provider must use those technologies appropriately for at least 90 days and attest to all of the above.
As I work with various clients who are preparing for transition to EHRs, I often hear HIM staff voice concerns that they haven’t been invited to the table for discussions regarding EHR strategy. In some cases, the selection of an entire system has been made for the facility with literally no input from the HIM department!
It comes up every other day now, it seems. It’s the question with no good answer; you’re sure of it. But your staff members really want to know: Why can’t they eat at their desks?
