Whether the standard arrives this year or not, organizations still need to continue preparing for the implementation as if it is inevitable. In a recent Twitter live chat, hosted by Cerner Corp, a lot of great discussion about how to be prepared for ICD-10 implementation ensued.

So, what does it take to be ready for ICD-10?

• Don’t make everything about ICD-10. Instead, focus on clinical documentation improvement.
• Keep up on industry literature and tools. Where possible, participate in the discussions.
• Have a strategy for identifying workflows with ICD implications and revise project priorities as needs evolve.
• Take advantage of delay periods to increase dual coding efforts while refining education and training efforts.

ICD-10 adoption has widespread implications within an organization, so remember that it takes that entire organization to get ready for the change. Organizations that take the time available to prepare, will likely find the transition less frustrating than those who don’t continue to focus their efforts in training, educating, and testing.

Check out the live chat summary blog from Cerner covering questions and strategies from other healthcare organizations.