Are You Ready for ICD-10? McKesson Medisoft Clinical EMR Can Help

The new ICD-10 standards represent the biggest change to billing and coding standards in decades. Most experts who have studied the implications agree that it will take the better part of the upcoming year to prepare your practice to move to the new standard. Many practices, clinics and hospitals won't be ready. Don't be one of them. McKesson, Medisoft Clinical EMR provider, offers numerous resources to help you prepare ahead of time so your practice will see minimal disruption. These key facts can help you understand what you need to know about ICD-10 and how to transition from ICD-9.

ICD-9 Is Outdated and We're Behind the Curve

ICD-9 has been in use for more than 30 years. It is severely limited in the terms it uses and data it manages. Many other countries have already adopted ICD-10 standards, so the U.S. is a bit behind the curve. ICD-10 Provides Robust Data Collection and Billing Capabilities Because of Its

Expanded Codes

ICD-10 expands the number of diagnostic and clinical codes from 20,000 to more than 155,000. That allows for much more precision in diagnosing and billing for delivery of care and services. Making the transition will entail a significant investment of time, effort and money, but the end result will be a much more robust system that allows you to describe exactly why a patient sought care and what care was delivered.

The Sooner You Start the Transition, the Less Disruption You'll Experience

Your practice must be in compliance by October 1, 2014, which means that you and your staff have a lot to learn and do before that date. Most experts estimate that the average small physician practice should be starting the transition and training now, just under a year out. McKesson Medisoft Clinical EMR is ready to help you make the transition as painless as possible.

These Top Five Steps Can Make It Easier


 * Assess your current standing and make a list of what you need to do to comply. Start with the 10 ICD-9-CM codes you use most and work out code matches - or have a gap assessment done for you.
 * Figure out where your IT systems stand. You may need to modify your practice management systems, EMR/EHR systems and medical billing systems to accommodate the new codes. Working with new cloud-based SaaS systems can reduce the amount of work you and your staff have to do to keep up with updates and security requirements.
 * Consider whether you'll need temporary coding assistance during the transition to reduce the impact of reduced coder productivity.
 * Develop a transition plan and bring your entire staff in on it so that they understand exactly what will be expected of them - and what they can expect in return.

Medisoft Clinical EMR, Practice Choice and other McKesson products are designed to provide a smooth transition to ICD-10 standards. McKesson Medisoft Clinical EMR is a fully certified EMR for meaningful use requirements. The latest version of Medisoft Clinical will be fully ICD-10 compliant. Contact a value-added reseller to learn more about available transition services and assistance with your transition to the new coding standards.

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