Three-quarters behind schedule, one-quarter have yet to start ICD-10 prep

Three out of four providers are still 25 percent or less completed in their ICD-10 implementation process and one-third of respondents have not yet started the process, according to a survey from consulting firm Aloft Group.


Aloft's "ICD-10 Snapshot Study" polled more than 260 healthcare providers nationwide to gauge their ICD-10 implementation status. The majority of the respondents (78 percent) were from community hospitals; the other 22 percent were from IDN/healthcare systems, academic medical centers, critical access hospitals, acute care hospitals and physician groups.

Most providers (71 percent) said lack of time was their biggest burden. Despite the numbers, the majority (55 percent) said they were confident they will meet the Oct. 1, 2014 deadline.

Many providers expressed frustrations with their ICD-10 vendors, however. Forty-one percent said they're stymied by lack of guidance from their vendors, and 44 percent said their vendors don’t have an adequate schedule in place to ensure they will be ready in time for the deadline.


When asked what they would most like to see more of from their vendors, most providers (61 percent) said the ability to run parallel systems to resolve issues prior to go-live was their top wish, followed by assistance with a formalized training plan for user training and education to improve physician acclimation.

Among the survey's other findings:

• Forty-three percent of providers don’t agree with the American Medical Association’s (AMA) opposition to ICD-10 implementation and believe the industry needs to make the transition. Thirty-two percent were undecided and 25 percent did agree with the AMA.
• Fifty-one percent feel somewhat or very confident that there will be no further delays to the deadline.
• Coding education is the biggest gap in 75 percent of providers’ ICD-10 conversion plans, followed by coding implementation (60 percent).
• The leading gap in the ICD-10 education process is proper training tools (48 percent), followed by financial resources (42 percent).

"We conducted this study to not only obtain a snapshot of where the industry is right now, but also to communicate the opportunity that ICD-10 vendors have to improve in the services they provide," said Matt Bowen, president and CEO of Aloft Group. "While October 2014 will be here before you know it, there is still an opportunity for vendors to step in because clearly providers are in need of guidance and support in their ICD-10 conversion journey."