The ICD-10 PlayBook launch couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.  As the Health IT Policy Steering Committee recently took a closer look at pushing back Stage 2 of meaningful use, this potential delay might just be the spark to help the healthcare community refocus on one of the most important federal mandates that could really have a bottom line, negative impact on revenue— ICD-10.

If anyone is still confused, let’s first be clear that ICD-10 is not optional. It isn’t going away this time, per CMS.  ICD-10 is a “must do” enterprise wide transformation from a micro view.

From a macro view, ICD-10 is a healthcare system-wide overhaul that requires all healthcare stakeholders from government, vendors, providers, health plans, clearinghouses, health IT, work force solutions, to banks and financial systems, to work together in some semblance of order.

• The industry coordination of ICD-10 requires an “orchestra conductor” to ensure that all “instruments in the orchestra” (ICD-10 stakeholders) are “playing the same song.” 
• Much like the “symphony,” ICD-10 desperately needs a conductor to help create “beautiful music” (successful implementation with as little hiccup as possible in terms of revenue cycle and other important benchmarks).
• An orchestra conductor could identify what the music should sound like (identification of successful implementation benchmarks), set the tempo (providing timely information needed for all facets of the implementation to avoid delays), and emphasize the “crescendos and decrescendos” (best practices and risks).

Who or what the conductor will be is yet to be seen.

It is clear, with or without a “conductor,” that early planning is critical to implementing ICD-10 at a very basic level. If this premise is ignored, it could have dire consequences to the procrastinators.

The ICD-10 PlayBook is a tool created by HIMSS and 20-plus participating organizations to provide easy access, phase-by-phase implementation of ICD-10. We know it’s crucial for providers to focus on their bottom line—providing safe patient care and managing their business. The PlayBook provides a “live, work-in-progress tool” with timely and relevant information to assist providers in their planning.

An educational webinar – ICD-10 PlayBook:  New Tools for Successful Transformation will be held tomorrow, May 25, from noon - 1:30 p.m. CT. 

This free webinar covers: 

• what the PlayBook is,
• how to use its contents, including implementation strategies, risk  mitigation strategies and impact analysis.

Register online for the webinar to hear from revenue cycle experts and health plans followed by time for questions for this panel of experts, including accounting firms, banks, medical coding specialists and HIMSS staff. 

If you would like to participate in the ICD-10 PlayBook as a content contributor, please contact Juliet Santos, Sr. Director, HIMSS Business-Centered Systems at jasantos@himss.org for more information.