What you told us about ICD-10 this time Results From Third ICD-10 Provider Readiness Survey

Last month we asked providers to take our third brief survey about ICD-10. It’s our way of tracking how well the provider community is preparing for the transition. Since just under 600 providers responded – less than half from the first survey – we believe we are seeing a little survey fatigue.

We thank those of you who participated. We will be surveying providers one more time before ICD-10 implementation on October 1.

Even with a smaller pool of respondents, it’s interesting to compare the results of the May survey with the first survey given in January:

•  22% of respondents have not started ICD-10 implementation (vs. 35% in January)

•  25% have not received ICD-10 information from their billing vendor (vs. 33%)

•  20% do not know if their practice management software is compliant (vs. 25%)

•  4.4% say they will not be ready for ICD-10 by October 1 (vs. 3.7%)

Most numbers show improvement, although the last statistic is potentially concerning.

Some things don’t change. Most common reasons for not yet completing ICD-10 preparations remain:

-   Other priorities / competing projects

-   Not enough staffing / resources

-   Do not know enough about it

Providers are once again urged to take advantage of available resources to learn about ICD-10, especially the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For links to this and other resources, consult the NCTracks ICD-10 webpage on the provider portal.

Noteworthy comment

When asked for reasons why they had not yet prepared for ICD-10, one provider comment suggested that if it weren’t for Medicaid, they wouldn’t have to switch to ICD-10. However, that is not true.  In the case of ICD-10, all insurers are in the same ICD-10 boat. Unless a provider is going to a cash-only business model, ICD-10 codes will have to be used with all payers, public and private.

 

Find your ICD-10 codes on the NCTracks ICD-10 Crosswalk at http://ncmmis.ncdhhs.gov/icdxwalk.asp, Send your questions about the transition to ICD-10 codes in NCTracks to NCTracks-Questioner@dhhs.nc.gov. We will share frequently asked questions with all.