• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • AI
    • Blockchain
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage
  • Life Sciences
  • Research

ICD-10 Testing and Readiness: No Longer a Marathon, It’s a Sprint

by Our Thought Leaders 01/27/2014 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

A full-out sprint for ICD-10 testing and readiness has yet to begin. But there are signs that many hospitals are, at least, lacing up their track shoes.

Francis X. Speidel, MD, MBA, FACEP
Francis X. Speidel, MD, MBA, FACEP

In conversation recently with a dear old friend, who also happens to be an outstanding IT project manager in a cutting-edge hospital system, I broached the subject of their transition to ICD-10.

It was progressing well, she confided. In fact, they would be ready to start testing by mid-August!

I was slack-jawed with surprise. Weren’t they cutting it rather close?

As a former hospital CEO, I found myself calculating the revenue risks and potential costs associated with missing the October deadline.

But as I slipped toward being judgmental, I reminded myself that her IT department is juggling chainsaws and blowtorches on a daily basis. And they are understaffed, a challenge that most hospital CIOs cite as their number-one hurdle in achieving IT goals.

I also reminded myself that ICD-10 conversion is not just an IT project. It’s the responsibility of the whole institution, engaging processes and people across a myriad of functions and departments.

One thing I can say for certain about my friend’s test schedule is that she is not alone.

Many institutions, large and small, have yet to begin ICD-10 testing, according to recent industry surveys. One such report from WEDI found that only half of providers will have begun external testing by June.

This, of course, lags well behind the recommendations of CMS and knowledgeable consulting firms who have advised a longer, more rigorous testing period. But as one observer recently noted, “it may be about time to throw out the official timelines and checklists in favor of an accelerated sprint towards readiness.”

From my current vantage point, as CMO of a firm that provides HIT staff augmentation services, the full-out sprint has yet to begin. But there are signs that many hospitals are, at least, lacing up their track shoes.

In our discussions with clients so far in 2014, ICD-10 needs are rising to the top of their lists. Cross-coders and software testers and project managers skilled in ICD-10 processes are in greater demand, and the dance cards of these individuals and other ICD-10 consultants will fill quickly as the conversion deadline nears.

As an emergency physician, I’m reminded that practitioners are often faced with unstable, critically-ill patients. A misstep can cost a life. Asking for help is the right thing to do.

The ICD-10 transition is analogous. Very few organizations can weather sustained, extensive claim denials for provided services. In like manner very few organizations have the depth and experience available to speed up ICD-10 transition and testing.

C-suite wisdom will be needed in balancing post-October 2014 revenue cycle loss versus the expense of adding consulting resources for accelerated conversion.

Organizations that are looking to do end-to-end testing after June have a toxic timeline. The wise action is to carefully select outsourcing options for acceleration that do not bankrupt or disrupt critical functions of the institution.

Some are betting on the October deadline being moved. I am not. My counsel is to garner all of your available internal resources, supplement with external experts, and then start sprinting.

Frank X. Speidel, MD, MBA, FACEP is Chief Medical Officer for Healthcare IT Leaders, a consultancy and HIT staff augmentation firm that matches IT talent to hospitals and health systems for EMR, ICD-10 and analytic engagements.

Featured image credit: Sum_of_Marc via cc

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tap Native

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Featured Insights

2025 EMR Software Pricing Guide

2025 EMR Software Pricing Guide

Featured Interview

Kinetik CEO Sufian Chowdhury on Fighting NEMT Fraud & Waste

Most-Read

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Launches "CloseKnit" Virtual-First Primary Care Option

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Launches “CloseKnit” Virtual-First Primary Care Option

Osteoboost Launches First FDA-Cleared Prescription Wearable Nationwide to Combat Low Bone Density

Osteoboost Launches First FDA-Cleared Prescription Wearable Nationwide to Combat Low Bone Density

2019 MedTech Breakthrough Award Category Winners Announced

MedTech Breakthrough Announces 2025 MedTech Breakthrough Award Winners

WeightWatchers Files for Bankruptcy to Eliminate $1.15B in Debt

WeightWatchers Files for Bankruptcy to Eliminate $1.15B in Debt

KLAS: Epic Dominates 2024 EHR Market Share Amid Focus on Vendor Partnership; Oracle Health Sees Losses Despite Tech Advances

KLAS: Epic Dominates 2024 EHR Market Share Amid Focus on Vendor Partnership; Oracle Health Sees Losses Despite Tech Advances

'Cranky Index' Reveals EHR Alert Frustration Peaks Midweek, Highest Among Admin Staff

‘Cranky Index’ Reveals EHR Alert Frustration Peaks Midweek, Highest Among Admin Staff

Madison Dearborn Partners to Acquire Significant Stake in NextGen Healthcare

Madison Dearborn Partners to Acquire Significant Stake in NextGen Healthcare

Wandercraft Begins Clinical Trials for Physical AI-Powered Personal Exoskeleton

Wandercraft Begins Clinical Trials for Physical AI-Powered Personal Exoskeleton

Chipiron Secures $17M to Transform MRI Access with Portable Scanner

Chipiron Secures $17M to Transform MRI Access with Portable Scanner

Abbott to Integrate FreeStyle Libre Glucose Data with Epic EHR

Abbott to Integrate FreeStyle Libre Glucose Data with Epic EHR

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2025. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |