When Canada switched from paper ICD-9 coding to digital ICD-10, a significant drop in coder productivity followed. Canadian coders went from completing 4.62 inpatient charts per hour to 3.75.
Medical practices in the United States can use these statistics as precaution of how the switch can affect productivity. They also make the case for robust training at multiple levels and physician involvement early on to understand the extent of ICD-10.
Also, for many coders, ICD-10 will be an entirely new way of doing their job. Coders should be offered resources to aid in the transition. Gillian Price, a Canadian healthcare consultant, said their provided government training was inadequate, and the coders who adjusted the best put in extra effort to learn the system on their own.
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