As it turns out, physicians across the country have a few reservations still about the pending ICD-10 deadline of Oct. 1, 2015.
Care Communications and the Department of Health Information Management at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh jointly conducted a study into what, specifically, physicians are concerned about.
The top concerns, according to the study, which was conducted through physician focus groups, were clinical documentation and reimbursement.
Physicians did indicate that there were several things health information professionals could do to assist them in the switch.
A few of those are:
• Creating a crosswalk of codes to convert to ICD-10 by specialty
• Identifying changes in documentation
• Listing the 10 most common diagnoses and documentation needs
• Explaining why claims are being rejected
• Educating billers and coders on how to maximize reimbursement
• Providing training appropriate for physicians
Patty Sheridan, president at Care Communications and Valerie Watzlaf, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh, presented the research findings during an AHIMA Foundation Research Forum at the AHIMA Convention in San Diego.
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