Survey: Physicians Unprepared for ICD-10 Implementation

A new poll conducted by the eHealth Initiative finds healthcare providers are falling behind on testing for the upcoming transition to ICD-10 codes.

In a survey of 271 providers, the Initiative found half reporting that they have conducted test transactions using ICD-10 codes with payers and clearinghouses. Just 34% indicated that they have completed internal testing, with 17% saying they have completed external testing. In addition, while the majority of respondents said they plan to ultimately go through with testing, 19% note they have no plans to conduct end-to-end testing. (In the poll, 60% of respondents represented hospitals or health systems, with 18% representing clinics or physician practices.)
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The survey included responses from radiologists, who were asked about inefficiencies in their workflows. According to the eHealth Initiative, these responses revealed several shortcomings in terms of the information technology that radiologists rely on to review, interpret, and report diagnostic imaging examinations. The authors note that these findings indicate an opportunity for more intuitive, efficient, multi-modality, and multi-function systems to improve radiologists’ workflow and productivity.

In terms of the effect the lack of testing may have on revenue, 38% of participants said they believe revenue will decrease after implementation of ICD-10, with 78% attributing this likely drop to an increase in denied claims. In addition, 80% indicated that they believe reduced coding productivity or accuracy will correlate to a spike in costs. Just 6% said they foresee revenues increasing, with 34% saying they organization has not conducted an assessment of the implementation’s effect on revenue.

“I would like to see the percentage of small organizations and physician practices that still have not taken any steps toward the transition drop to zero,” said Sue Bowman, senior director of coding and policy compliance at the American Health Information Management Association, in a statement. “We need that to drop to zero, because to make this all work on Oct. 1, we really need everyone to be ready. The disruptions are more likely to occur if you are not prepared.”

—Mark McGraw