Pundits are calling 2014 the year of the perfect storm when Stage 2 Meaningful Use and the switch to ICD-10 are supposed to combine to create some sort of healthcare industry apocalypse.
And while it’s true that handling both regulations at the same time will be difficult, it’s definitely achievable. The following strategies will help ensure your practice doesn’t implode under the stress of changing healthcare reform.
Question Your EHR Vendor
Your EHR vendor is going to be crucial for both MU Stage 2 and ICD-10. If they fail on their end, there’s no chance for you to succeed on either front, so you’re going to have to investigate their readiness for both changes.
Since it begins on January 1, the most pressing question to ask is whether your vendor will be ready for Meaningful Use Stage 2. As it stands, only a select few EHRs are actually certified for Stage 2, meaning many physicians are using software that will not net them an incentive payment.
It’s also important to ask your vendor about ICD-10. Do they have a plan in place for accommodating the new coding set? Are they going to offer ICD-10 training and support?
If your vendor answers no to any of these questions, you may have to scramble and try to find a new solution that is ready for both Stage 2 and ICD-10
Read Up
With your vendor chosen, you’ll have to make sure that you’re prepared on your end as well. The best way to ensure the transition to both changes runs smoothly is by becoming as knowledgeable as possible about the two reforms.
For Meaningful Use, you should become familiar with all of the core measures and strategies for meeting them. You should also use CMS’ helpful Meaningful Use Timeline to see where your practice stands in the process. Another helpful resource is this comparison table covering the differences between Stage 1 and Stage 2.
On the ICD-10 side, there is no shortage of material available to help prepare providers for the transition. Our very own ICD-10 Resource Guide and in-depth piece covering the ICD-10 basics are great places to start. Of course, you’ll also want to learn directly from the source, so take a look at CMS’ ICD-10 page.
Stage 2 First, ICD-10 Second
Although they occur during the same year, Stage 2 Meaningful Use and ICD-10 don’t necessarily have to overlap. As long as your EHR vendor is Stage 2 certified, you can begin attesting on January 1 while decreasing focus on ICD-10.
If you start in January, you can be successfully attested to Stage 2 by April since you only need to attest to Stage 2 for a three-month period in 2014. This should give you plenty of time to then ramp up efforts on ICD-10.
In addition to training, you can also pursue early ICD-10 adoption. But because of dual coding challenges, this task should wait until after Meaningful Use Stage 2. Simultaneously putting full effort into ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding in addition to Stage 2 could burn out your practice’s staff.
Using the right approach can get your practice through the “perfect storm” relatively unscathed. And if you manage to do so, your practice will be stronger for it and ready for any additional changes on the horizon.
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