Most providers have yet to conduct ICD-10 testing

The majority of providers have not yet conducted ICD-10 testing, according to a survey by the American Health Information Management Association and eHealth Initiative.

The annual survey, conducted between May and June, polled 271 providers to gauge their preparedness for the Oct. 1 ICD-10 transition.

Half of respondents said they have conducted test transactions with payers and clearinghouses; 34 percent said they have completed all internal testing; and 17 percent said they have completed all external testing. Twenty percent of respondents said they do not plan on conducting end-to-end testing.

Aside from testing, the majority of respondents have taken others steps to prepare for the transition. More than three-quarters (78 percent) are providing ICD-10 resources and educational materials to their staff; 73 percent are creating teams to assess readiness and make implementation preparations; 72 percent are training staff on ICD-10 use; 66 percent are updating their systems to support ICD-10 codes; and 64 percent are reviewing internal processes and workflows.

Most providers said they think the ICD-10 transition will reduce revenue and 80 percent of respondents said they expect the switch to decrease productivity.

Respondents said they plan to mitigate loss of productivity by contracting outsourced coding companies; hiring additional coders; purchasing computer-assisted coding tools; autocoding from EHR templates; and taking other steps.

Almost all respondents said they plan to measure the effect of ICD-10 following the Oct. 1 transition deadline, with just 3 percent saying they have no plans to do so.

That majority said they plan to track claims denials and rejections, assess coding productivity and accuracy and monitor system functionality.