Tools To Help Coders Bridge The Gap From ICD-9 To ICD-10

The American Health Information Management Association’s (AHIMA) 86th Convention and Exhibit was held September 27 – October 3 in the San Diego Convention Center, and Health IT Outcomes editor John Oncea had the opportunity to speak with a wide range of attendees.

Oncea was able to speak with AHIMA members and presenters about everything from the effective management of health data, to the need for medical records to deliver quality healthcare to the public, to electronic documentation and health record management. In addition, several of healthcare’s leading vendors shared how technology is enabling HIM professionals better manage the ICD-10 transition, save health systems millions of dollars, achieve HIMSS Level 7, and achieve favorable electronic health record (EHR) implementations.

Julius Blum, VP. portfolio architecture and integration for Streamline Health, was at AHIMA to talk about the changes the healthcare industry is going through transitioning from ICD-9 to ICD-10. Specifically, Blum offers advice on how to best manage the exponential growth of the number of codes that will come with ICD-10. Blum also touches on the new role coders will be asked to play.