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Review current forms
ICD-10 demands a higher level of specificity than you and your
staff may be used to. Before October, review all applicable forms that
may be impacted — including ABNs, history & physical forms, HIPAA
disclosure/restriction forms, EHR/EMR templates and
anesthesia/nurse record forms — to ensure they're formatted correct-
ly for the new system.
Have a budget Plan B
While your 2015 budget has long been established, make sure
you have a Plan B budget in place to account for any disruption in pay-
ment. One good option is to have several months' cash reserves or
access to cash through a loan or line of credit. Although you can't con-
trol whether your payors will be ready, you can prepare for reimburse-
ment delays by expanding your working capital line of credit. Make
sure you communicate with banks early before you need these funds.
Assess staffing needs
Think in terms of a worst-case scenario if ICD-10 slows down
your staff's productivity. Consider outsourcing coding services to
address backlogs, which would give your staff more time to learn and
practice ICD-10. If you're considering using a third party, now's the
time to research, secure proposals and verify availability. Remember,
when demand rises, so does the price tag. You could also assign ICD-9
experienced staff only to ICD-9 claims, and ICD-10 experienced staff
to ICD-10 claims only until older dates of service are resolved.
Begin dual coding
Perhaps the best way to smooth the transition is to simultane-
ously code ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes leading up to the deadline. While
payors can't adjudicate ICD-10 claims until Oct. 1, performing dual
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