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Action Plan and Solutions Prepare Customers Well in Advance of Major New Coding Mandate

By October 1, 2013, all physicians in the U.S. are required to shift to World Health Organization ICD-10 coding standards mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). GE Healthcare customers won't have to make the shift alone.

At this week's annual meeting of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) in New Orleans, GE Healthcare IT unveiled a series of steps it is taking to assist customers through the changes, which will require system and business changes throughout the healthcare industry. ICD-10 legislative changes will affect coding for everyone covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), not just those who submit Medicare claims.

The Advisory Board and other industry advisors are predicting the transition to be more disruptive to IT environments than Y2K compliance and estimating 3+ years(1) for providers to implement at costs well over $2 million for large practices and hospitals(2). The impact on revenue cycle management processes is also projected as significant. Advisors also believe this upgrade will impact coding, as well as up to 20 other applications and point out it also conflicts with the ARRA/HITECH funding criteria for Level 2 in 2013.

GE Healthcare is prepared to help customers with a variety of services and tools designed to assist with assessment and compliance. The company is currently planning for releases with the necessary upgrades to support ICD-10 well in advance of the October 2013 deadline. Centricity Business v5.0, which is designed to supportICD-10 requirements, is currently scheduled for beta release in November and General Release in Q2 2011. For all Centricity Business customers on release 4.0 and 4.3, an upgrade is expected to be available in Q4 2011.

"For decades, our customers have depended on GE delivering innovative solutions that maximize the advantages of changes like ICD-10 and minimize disruption within their care delivery processes," said Jim Corrigan, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare IT. "We're ready now for the ICD-10 transition with a solid solution roadmap and the consulting expertise that can help physicians get ready for this major shift."

Additionally, the company announced it will host a series of sponsored webinars, complimentary for Centricity Business customers, to demonstrate how different providers are leveraging this regulatory change as an opportunity to streamline processes, reduce variation and improve workflows for their organizations. The first, "ICD-10 Readiness with GE Healthcare IT and The Advisory Board," is scheduled for Thursday, October 28, at 2pm ET. Interested customers can register at: https://emeetings.webex.com/emeetings/onstage/g.php?d=828722771&t=a

Source: GE Healthcare