Healthcare IT News - September 2008 - (Page 10) 10 Healthcare IT News ■ September 2008 www.HealthcareITNews.com How much longer before ICD-10? i to go. Everyone seems to agree on that. However, replacing ICD9, a coding system that was developed more than 30 years ago is likely to be disruptive, painful – and expensive – for hospitals, physician practices and health plans. Industry studies estimate the cost in the millions of dollars for some organizations to adapt their technology to accommodate new coding. Then there is the cost of anticipated loss of productivity, training and “re-work.” C D - 1 0 I S T H E WA Y “the planning has been under way, has it not, since 1993 when the National Committee on vital statistics reported that ICD-9 was rapidly becoming outdated?” The American Health Information management Association makes an excellent case for replacing ICD-9: ■ Lacks sufficient specificity and detail, ■ Is running out of space, and the limited structural design cannot accommodate advances in medicine and medical technology and the growing need for quality data, ■ Is obsolete and no longer reflects current knowledge of disease processes, contemporary medical terminology, or the modern practice of medicine, ■ Hampers the ability to compare costs and outcomes of different medical technologies, and ■ Cannot support the transition to an interoperable health data exchange in the United States. AHImA also points out that the United States is the one industrialized nation that has not converted to ICD-10. “Everyone else is doing it,” typically is not a good argument to do something. But it is in this case. In a mobile, global and interoper- able world, it behooves us to at least keep up even if, in this situation, it’s too late to lead. When on Aug. 15, the Centers for medicare & medicaid Services called for an Oct. 1, 2011 deadline for converting to ICD10, it drew support from AHImA and the American Hospital Association. “We urge CmS to quickly undertake the regulatory process to replace ICD-9-Cm Bernie monegain, editor with ICD-10,” AHA vice president Rick Pollack wrote. “The AHA recognizes that the healthcare field will need a minimum of two years to implement ICD10. The issuance of this rulemaking process alerts healthcare organizations to begin preparations for its eventual adoption.” The medical Group management Association, however, sees the deadline as “unworkable.” MY TWO CENTS “moving to these new code sets has the potential to be the most complex change for the U.S. healthcare system in decades,” said William F. Jessee, mD, president and CEO of the association. Jessee is not alone in this assessment. many others in the healthcare sector have likened the undertaking to the massive y2K effort. “Once implemented in the U.S., ICD-10 will significantly improve our nation’s ability to provide information comparable to 21st century medicine and its current understanding of disease, said Linda Kloss, CEO of AHImA.” Indeed. Change of this magnitude must not be undertaken without serious planning. But the planning has been under way, has it not, since 1993 when the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics reported that ICD-9 was rapidly becoming outdated? How much longer should we wait? The time has come to take action. If not in 2011, then when? ■ More at healthcareITnews.com e Connect: MoNeGaIN 0908 www.HealthcareITNews.com Published in partnership with 71 Pineland Drive, Suite 203 New Gloucester, ME 04260 T (207) 688-6270 F (207) 688-6273 Neil Rouda neil.rouda@medtechpublishing.com MedTech Publishing Company PUBLISHER EDITORIAL ● Jack Beaudoin, Editorial Director jack.beaudoin@medtechpublishing.com Patty Enrado, Contributing Editor patty.enrado@medtechpublishing.com Diana Manos, Senior Editor diana.manos@medtechpublishing.com Molly Merrill, Associate Editor molly.merrill@medtechpublishing.com Bernie Monegain, Editor bernie.monegain@medtechpublishing.com Richard Pizzi, Associate Editor richard.pizzi@medtechpublishing.com Eric Wicklund, Managing Editor eric.wicklund@medtechpublishing.com Nancy Vitucci, nvitucci@himss.org For advertising contacts, see page 44 or visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com Karen Diekmann, Production Manager karen.diekmann@medtechpublishing.com EDITOR, HIMSS INSIDER EDITORIAL STAFF ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MARKETING Danielle Hartley, Director, Marketing and Business Development danielle.hartley@medtechpublishing.com Nicole Carter, Manager, Audience Development nicole.carter@medtechpublishing.com Jenna Perez, Coordinator, Marketing/Circulation jenna.perez@medtechpublishing.com READER SERVICES T (978) 671-0449 Email: cs-hitn@e-circ.net F (978)671-0460 Online: www.myHITN.com P.O. Box 9369, Lowell, MA 01853 The YGS Group T (717) 399-1900, ext. 139 HITN@theygsgroup.com John Glaser, vice president, CIO, Partners HealthCare, Boston Denni McColm, CIO, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, Bolivar, Mo. Jane Olds, COO, Louisiana Health Network, New Orleans Wes Rishel, vice president, Gartner, Inc. William Spooner, senior vice president, CIO, Sharp Healthcare, San Diego Paul Tang, vice president, CMIO, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, California Steven Waldren, director, Center for Health IT, American Academy of Family Physicians REPRINTS CUSTOMER SERVICE up health care IT/EHR adoption need a closer look. yes, adoption of IT/EHR is essential to the transformation of our health care system into a high-quality, high-performance national asset. yes, IT is already helping to improve quality and save lives with applications such as CPOE. yes, evidence-based medical practice should be the norm, and IT will be required for both development and delivery. But it is increasingly evident that essential concepts in medical science, medical practice, and medical care delivery are not evolving as rapidly as the technology. For instance, IT/EHR is making it easier for physicians to practice toward a collective standard of care, rather than a patient-centered standard. In the use of screening mammograms, for example, the question is becoming “Is a satisfactorily high percentage of eligible patients getting screening mammograms?” rather EDERAL EFFORTS TO SPEED think about slowing healthcare It adoption EDITORIAL BOARD MAILBOX than the patient-centered questions, “Does this patient have breast cancer? Nationally, we need to focus on Is this mammogram helpful? How do prodding the health care system I decide?” There’s a big difference. to get its own house in order, and Physicians in general are not wellusing federal resources to drive such equipped either by their technology-oriented capabilities as education or by a supportive security, standards, and interoperinfrastructure to use an EHR karen Duncan ability. Fortunately adoption has correctly or even effectively – and been slow enough so that sentinel problems their patients will pay the price. with using EHR have become evident at a It won’t work to say that once IT fairly early stage. It’s up to the health care is in place the healthcare system system to respond appropriately. will adapt to its use. - Karen A. Duncan, Ph.D. The stakes are too high to allow Consultant and Writer that to happen. The health care system should Health Information Systems provide the leadership and infrastructure to drive IT implementation, not the other way OUR FIRST STATED MISTAKE (in “Top around. IT is vital to further the evolution five biggest healthcare IT blunders”), of medical education, research, policy, clininot involving the physicians and other cal practice, and delivery. Unfortunately, healthcare professionals, is by far the most the necessary leadership and infrastructure serious. my knee jerk reaction when I hear haven’t been forthcoming. that 4 percent of doctors are using a full EmR In this vacuum, IT adoption is being driv- system is that they are rebelling because they en by commercial interests. Federal efforts are dinosaurs is as bad a mistake. should resist this trend. LeTTers see page 12 y Neil Rouda Jack Beaudoin, John D. Payne Neil Rouda VICE PRESIDENTS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENTS PRESIDENT Jack Beaudoin John D. Payne 2005 JESSE NEAL AWARD WINNER http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://healthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9880 http://www.healthcareitnews.com http://www.myHITN.com
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