ICD-10: Tick–Tock

We are now at the beginning of February 2011 – boy that went fast. How is your ICD-10 transition plan coming? Yes, the plan that should have been done last year. Hopefully it is well underway. Your executive team has bought in and hospital-wide education and training is in progress, right?  Errr, not so much.   

You still have time and industry resources; at least for now. Top resources are getting locked in for the next three years and providers should not wait until the last minute to secure transition teams and training partners.

In fact, a recent survey done by the Missouri Health Information Management Association (MHIMA) found that much of the training and education will be done by resources external to the institution. In the survey, 72% of respondents will seek outside training for both diagnosis and procedure codes. This training will be conducted through live, in-person seminars and preceded by completion of online learning modules. But what can you do now, in 2011?

Before in-depth ICD-10 training occurs educational assessments must be conducted! They should be part of your plan and on your 2011 checklist. After all,  it is easier to get to your training destination if you know where you need to start.

Who to Assess Now?

• Clinical Coders                                           
• Internal Auditors
• Physicians

What to Assess?

• Knowledge
• Staffing
• Potential Staff Shortages
• Potential Productivity Drop

How to Assess?

• Recommend AHIMA online assessment
• External Audit to Establish Benchmark
• Review CDI Efforts

Your ICD-10 educational plan must be coordinated, well thought out and occur over a time. We all know that the only way to eat the elephant is one bite at a time; assessments are the first bite.

The TrustHCS team is geared up and willing and able to help, whether you need a high level assessment and awareness plan or training at the most detailed, individual level. For survey results see: http://www.mohima.org/eAlert/MHIMAealertnewsletter.pdf

A Small Fix to Unemployment

A recent article in eWeek.com by Don E. Sears on IT Management, titled “Ohio Ban on Offshore Outsourcing Raises more Ire from Asia”, got me thinking about outsourcing. Of course this ban is only for public funds, but there is a lot be said for the idea of keeping work in the good, old U.S. of A.

Clearly, the perceived advantage of off-shoring is cost savings. But cheaper isn’t always better. When comparing quality against cost, quality always wins—especially in health information management (HIM). And better quality is really better value!

HIM Directors simply get more for their money here in the U.S. Heightened HIPAA compliance concerns, privacy issues, quality of staff, education, certification, and familiarity with U.S. regulations all weigh heavily in the value equation. Furthermore, there is definitely something to be said for extra “hands” that know you, your organization and your staff.

Are you struggling to find qualified HIM professionals? Is keeping up with HIM workload a daily battle? Do government auditors and other departments continually heap new demands and responsibilities on your already over-burdened staff? If so, outsourcing is clearly your best option. It’s the “who”, “where” and “when” that must be carefully determined, and assigned.

Yes, the latest proposal from the Buckeye State got me thinking….and my thought is let’s keep the jobs here in the U.S.