The healthcare Industry as a whole is currently weighing its options after the recent announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius that the federal government may extend the October 2013 ICD-10 implementation deadline.

As of right now, no one knows what the time frame for the extension would be or who would be exempt from the exception. In addition, ICD-11 is fast approaching and expected to be implemented around 2015, just a year away if the industry were granted a one-year extension for ICD-10. This begs the question, if companies delay ICD-10 implementations now, how will they be ready for ICD-11? There are multiple options to weigh, which I will discuss in this blog post. (more…)

The deadline for ICD-10 implementation is fast approaching and healthcare Payers and Providers have less than two years to meet the requirements. Some healthcare organizations have yet to initiate their plans for the migration, some have progressed at a slow pace and very few have made substantial commitment to completion.

Payers on track with the ICD-10 implementation process should have completed the Risk/Impact assessment of their IT and business areas and started their planning activities. Based on our experience with previous HIPAA implementations, we believe there are a few areas that healthcare organizations need to consider to ensure success of their ICD-10 migration program. (more…)

We are quickly approaching the ICD-10 implementation deadline and most payers and providers are still in the planning phase. A recent HIMSS ICD-10/5010 Readiness Survey shows that while providers are making significant progress on ICD-10, it is generally at a slower pace than that for HIPAA 5010.

With less than 30 months left until the compliance date (October 1, 2013), healthcare entities will have to start taking stock, assessing their readiness and taking control of their planning activities.

Because the impacts of ICD-10 are widespread within and beyond individual organizations, it is very important to focus on these crucial first steps before embarking on the exciting journey of ICD10 implementation (more…)

The last few years of the millennium have seen old business models giving way to new ones. Customer needs are transitioning from those of pure consumption-oriented to those of convenience-oriented with the coming of age of the digital native. Organizations big and small are being affected by the onslaught of myriad of factors including enlightened and demanding customers, newer modes of communication, technology advancements with user dependence on mobility and small form factor devices, and the power of collective intelligence – blogs, wikis, user generated reviews and feedbacks, etc.

So has the meaning of value literally changed from what it was in the earlier days to the present? Or has Value in its representation evolved to “Value 2.0” i.e. becoming more user-oriented, keeping in line with the changing times? How are businesses upgrading themselves to meet the evolving juggernaut of customer needs and wants?

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Haven’t started planning for ICD-10 implementation yet?  Think that you have a lot of time before the implementation compliance date of October 2013?  Feeling that you don’t have the budget now but may have it in 2012 and 2013 and can start your planning then?

These are some common sentiments of practically everyone in the healthcare industry who is affected by the ICD-10 mandate. More and more questions are starting to arise about the process that requires solid answers. Organizations must determine how long they can wait before starting the implementation process and must assess how the mandate will impact them.  Some organizations are also assuming that they are going to get a reprieve and that there will be an extension to the implementation deadline. However, the probability of this happening is very low, so it’s advisable not to factor it into your thinking and planning.

Following are 10 key considerations to think about if you have not begun your ICD-10 planning (more…)