Physician ICD-10 Readiness Less Than 10%
By Katie Wike, contributing writer
ICD-10 readiness has been in question throughout the implementation process and new data shows less than 10% of practices are ready for the switch
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has released research on the on the overall readiness of healthcare to meet the Oct. 1 ICD-10 deadline, finding it “continues to be slow.” The MGMA research mirrors that of a recent QualiTest survey which showed providers were far from ready for the October deadline.
MGMA writes, “The greatest concern is the lack of communication and critical coordination between physician practices and their essential trading partners (such as claims clearinghouses, electronic health record (EHR) vendors and practice management system vendors) regarding software updates and testing, which has not yet occurred. Only 4.8 percent of practices reported that they have made significant progress when rating their overall readiness for ICD-10 implementation.”
“The transition to ICD-10, with its substantial impact on documentation of clinical care, physician productivity, and practice reimbursement, is unprecedented,” stated Susan L. Turney, MD, MS, FACMPE, FACP, MGMA president and CEO. “It is proving to be one of the most complex and expensive changes our healthcare system has faced in decades. Adding to the implementation challenge and clearly taxing all stakeholders, ICD-10 will arrive at the same time that a number of other transformative federal policies go into effect, such as health insurance exchanges and Stage 2 of the CMS Meaningful Use EHR Incentive Program.”
Turney stresses the importance of communication in this time of transition. More than half of respondents indicated they had not heard from their practice management system vendor regarding when software changes would be available to the practice. Nearly the same amount had not heard from their EHR vendor.
- 5.9 percent of respondents reported that internal software testing has begun or is complete with their practice management software vendor (4.7 percent with their EHR vendor)
- 11.9 percent of respondents reported that external testing with their clearinghouse has started or is complete
- 60 percent reported that they have not even heard from their clearinghouse regarding a testing date
- 8.6 percent have started or have completed testing with their major health plans
- 70 percent stated that they have not heard from their major health plans
“A successful transition to ICD-10 requires coordination between providers and their vendor, clearinghouse and health plan trading partners. Our data suggest that many practices are in the dark in terms of moving forward with ICD-10 as this coordination has not yet occurred,” said Turney. “Without the necessary software changes and testing, practices will have no confidence that they will be paid for the care they deliver to their patients after Oct. 1, 2014. In order to prevent disruption to the nation’s healthcare system, we call on vendors, clearinghouses and health plans to immediately release their implementation and testing schedules.”
MGMA also notes additional provider concerns, including:
- 60 percent of respondents stated they are “slightly” or “not at all confident” that their major health plans will be ready to meet the Oct.1, 2014, compliance date
- 88 percent are concerned or very concerned about the expected changes to clinical documentation
- 87.5 percent are concerned or very concerned about the loss of clinician productivity after implementation
- 81.1 percent of respondents indicated they are concerned or very concerned with the overall cost of switching to ICD-10
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