WEDI Provides Vital ICD-10 Industry Readiness Survey Results To CMS

New survey reveals the industry is not progressing at a suitable pace

The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), the leading authority on the use of Health IT to improve the exchange of healthcare information, announced submission of the latest ICD-10 industry readiness survey results to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report discloses that the healthcare industry is not making the amount of progress that is needed for a smooth transition to ICD-10 in October 2014. WEDI’s assessment of industry readiness is derived from survey responses collected from close to 1,000 providers, health plans and vendors during February 2013. Based on the milestones suggested in the revised North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA)/WEDI ICD-10 Implementation Timeline, survey results show evidence that the industry is falling behind with ICD-10 compliance.

“While the NCHICA/WEDI timeline represented an orderly, consensus-based approach to compliance with all entities, it has become clear that many entities postponed their work until much later,” stated Stanley Nachimson, Director of the NCHICA/WEDI timeline initiative. “It remains to be seen how this postponement will affect the progress to compliance. Indications remain that significant numbers of industry participants have a considerable amount of work to do in a very short time.”

WEDI’s ICD-10 survey used an abridged set of questions aimed mostly at status rather than approaches to compliance. The survey questions paralleled those in the February 2012 survey to facilitate a direct comparison. The survey results show there was a shift in project timelines across all entity types. Factors that contributed to this slow progress include the change in compliance dates, competing internal priorities and other regulatory mandates.

Some key results from the survey include:

• Almost half of the health plans expect to begin external testing by the end of this year. In the 2012 survey all health plans had expected to begin in 2013.
• About half of the providers responded that they did not know when testing would occur and over two fifths of provider respondents indicated they did not know when they would complete their impact assessment and business changes.
• About two thirds of vendors indicate they plan to begin customer review and beta testing by the end of this year. This is similar to the number who expected to begin by the end of 2012 in the prior survey.

“The survey results show that projected timeframes for testing have shifted and many organizations will not begin this task until 2014,” said Jim Daley, WEDI Chairman. “Because of the magnitude of ICD-10 it is critical that organizations complete their remediation efforts as quickly as possible in order to allow adequate time for testing.”

Since 2009, WEDI has conducted ICD-10 readiness surveys to measure the progress of industry compliance. As an advisor under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), WEDI brings to the attention of CMS issues that it believes warrant review and consideration. WEDI will continue to conduct surveys throughout 2013 and 2014. Information collected from these surveys will be used to monitor progress and gage industry readiness.

A copy of WEDI’s letter to CMS is located on the WEDI website at: http://www.wedi.org/knowledge-center/comment-letters-testimony/comment-letters/2013/04/11/wedi-comment-letter-to-hhs-regarding-2013-icd-10-readiness-survey

About WEDI
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is the leading authority on the use of Health IT to improve healthcare information exchange in order to enhance the quality of care, improve efficiency, and reduce costs of our nation’s healthcare system. WEDI was formed in 1991 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was designated in the 1996 HIPAA legislation as an advisor to HHS. WEDI’s membership includes a broad coalition of organizations, including: hospitals, providers, health plans, vendors, government agencies, consumers, not-for-profit organizations, and standards bodies. For more information, visit WWW.WEDI.ORG