In this section you will find implementation tips for use in the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS.

Implementation Tip 1: Building a facility-wide team

Effective implementation begins with the formation of a facility-wide team. Team membership is very important and should include stakeholders from each area of the facility or organization, such as:

Health Information Management
Patient Financial Services (Patient Accounts or Billing)
Information Services
Medical Staff Affairs
Quality Management
Finance

Additional membership would depend on the facility and its challenges. Your facility may want to start with this initial list and expand the membership based on the needs of the team.

The team should focus on:

Choosing a physician liaison
Developing a facility time-line
Assigning responsibilities for research, analysis and tasks
Educating administration on the needs and risks
It is not too early to start forming a team to discuss the possibilities, risks and rewards.

Implementation Tip 2: Assessing your environment

Assess your environment and how it will respond to the transition to ICD-10.

Building a Contextual Map
To assess the environment of your facility is to draw a contextual map. This "map", or profile, of the facility processes and software is an important tool in determining the order of education, areas of weakness and future budget needs. An example of a contextual map is a listing of all software systems in the facility that hold, carry or pass an ICD-9-CM code. This list should include:

Software as well as excel spreadsheets that are used for departmental record keeping or billing
Owners and users of the system

As this listing is compiled, the transition needs of each area will become apparent.

Start by checking to see if a map or other information already exists in the IT department from the Y2K transition. Once updated, the map becomes a checklist for the actual software conversion and education needed for each area. Below is an example of a section of a map for an HIM department: