While Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CIO John Halamka, M.D., doesn't necessarily believe that ICD-10 is a worthwhile project--particularly because it is used for reimbursement instead of for research as it in other nations--he realizes the importance of making sure his facility is right on top of the implementation.
In his latest blog post, Halamka provides updates on BIDMC's progress with ICD-10. His outline, while brief, also provides a how-to guide for other hospitals in similar situations.
"Given a project with this many negatives, the least I can do is share everything we're implementing in the hopes that others will benefit from our experience," he says.
After walking readers quickly through the hospital's first steps in the process--a kickoff meeting held last June followed by the hiring of outside help for project management, gap analysis and budget issues--Halamka then provides two resources he believes other hospitals will be able to use in their own efforts:
- The request for assistance (RFA) used by the hospital to hire a consulting partner.
- A letter sent to all BIDMC stakeholders about a new software applications inventory.
The former, which was created last August, outlines the work necessary to complete the project, dividing the implementation into five "phases:" initial assessment, gap analysis, remediation plan, implementation and post-implementation. The RFA also details specific goals set for each phase.
The latter item asks recipients to create an inventory of software applications incorporating ICD-9 that must support ICD-10. It goes over who will need the information as well as how they will use it.
Halamka says he'll continue to share information--such as BIDMC's overall project plan and timeline--as it comes along.
Organizations including the American Health Information Management Association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services all provide healthcare organizations with ICD-10 transition resources.
To learn more:
- read Halamka's full post
Editor's note: FierceHealthIT is hosting a breakfast panel discussion on ICD-10 preparedness on Feb. 22 at the HIMSS conference in Las Vegas. Executives from leading healthcare organizations will share what they're doing now to ensure a smooth--and even profitable--transition to ICD-10. For more information and to register, visit the ICD-10 Readiness for Hospital IT Leaders: Lessons Learned from the Trenches website.