On Oct. 1, 2015, the healthcare industry will implement new ICD-10 codes, barring any unforeseen circumstances. While the immediate effects may be evident, such as slower productivity while adjusting to the transition, what will the effects be further down along the road?
Immediately after the implementation, the effects of the transition will likely be dependent on how prepared healthcare organizations were, according to an article in the Journal of AHIMA written by associate editor Mary Butler.
"Facilities that have practiced dual coding or engaged in end-to-end testing with their payers and with CMS will be much better off than providers who have not, though a drop in coder productivity is expected across the board," Ms. Butler writes.
Some experts predict the healthcare industry will already see an improvement in patient care quality within five years of going live on ICD-10.
"I absolutely believe we're going to have better patient care," Danielle Reno, ICD-10 director at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, said in the report. "I also believe that our payment and reimbursement systems are going to change. The data that government and commercial payers have right now doesn't really indicate how good or bad patients are at taking care of themselves — or the quality of care they're receiving from practitioners."
At the same time, some expect a continued decrease in productivity, such as Sandra Kersten, senior consultant for eCatalyst Healthcare Solutions. However, Ms. Kersten also said the landscape is ideally set up for new coders, as a reduction in coder productivity might spur hospitals and health systems to invest in more coders.
In the broader view, at least 10 years down the road, the U.S. will finally be closer to catching up with the rest of the world. Many public health goals are global, and having the U.S. using the same codes as the rest of the world allows for further, more in-depth research, according to the article.
More articles on health IT:
Judge dismisses class-action lawsuit against UPMC for 2014 data breach
Dear hacker: Here is your invitation to attack our network
athenahealth, eClinicalWorks named top cloud EHRs for small practices; Epic go-live is Partners HealthCare's largest investment to date; and Cerner shares increased 7.4 percent — 9 health IT company key notes