Physical Therapy Billing | Tips for a smooth ICD-10 transition

Assembling an ICD-10 Project Team to oversee your organization’s shift to ICD-10 is instrumental to a successful transition. This team will be responsible for overseeing the ICD-10 planning and implementation process.

Select Your Team

Since ICD-10 will affect nearly all areas of your practice, project teams should consist of representatives from key areas of your organization, including:

• Senior Management
• Health Information Management/Coding
• Billing/Finance
• Compliance
• Revenue Cycle Management
• Information Systems and Technology

This multi-disciplinary team provides the cooperative environment necessary to address your organization’s needs. If you run a small business or practice, several of these functional areas may rest with the same individuals, making your transition team smaller.

Appoint a Project Manager

Once members of the project team have been selected, appoint one team member to serve as the project manager. As the manager, he or she will be responsible for establishing accountability across the ICD-10 implementation team and making business, policy, and technical decisions.

Your Team’s Initial Tasks

With an established project team and a designated project lead, you’ll be ready to begin planning for ICD-10 implementation. Project teams should:

• Establish regular check-in meetings to discuss progress and address any issues.
• Conduct an ICD-10 impact assessment to help you determine how the transition to ICD-10 will affect your organization, and allow you to schedule and budget for all ICD-10 activities.
• Plan a comprehensive and realistic budget. This should include costs such as software upgrades and training needs.
• Identify and ensure involvement and commitment of all internal and external stakeholders. Contact vendors, physicians, affiliated hospitals, clearinghouses, and others to determine their plans for ICD-10 transition.
• Develop and adhere to a well-defined implementation timeline that makes sense for your organization.

Communicate Regularly

Remember to communicate regularly with your entire ICD-10 project team! Keeping the lines of communication open will help make sure everyone is kept up to date on the implementation progress. It may be helpful to establish and circulate a calendar of internal tasks, milestones, and deadlines to help keep day-to-day activities running smoothly and on schedule.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10.

Please visit the ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare! Don’t forget to open a ticket to your SPOC with any specific questions you may have!