ICD-10 implementation has gone smoothly for approximately 80% of attendees who responded to a survey during a recent webcast from audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG.
For 28.3% of the 298 respondents to the November survey, the ICD-10 transition has been smooth, while 51.4% reported a few technical issues, but overall success with the new code set since October 1.
Another 11.1% reported complete failure since implementation and 8.6% said serious work was needed but they are surviving the transition. Respondents included healthcare staff related to IT, finance, and the clinical side.
While the transition has been relatively smooth for the majority of industry stakeholders, providers will need to dedicate more attention to the quality and specificity of clinical documentation to reduce rejected medical insurance claims, said Catherine O’Leary, KPMG managing director, in a press release.
KPMG asked attendees which of the following was the largest challenge they faced with ICD-10 implementation:
- Clinical documentation improvement and continuous physician education
- Increase in denials or rejected claims
- Reduced revenue due to coding delays or coding errors
- System testing and information technology fixes
Approximately 42% of the respondents noted all of the issues remain a challenge at their facility, while 11.1% said none of the issues would be their largest challenge.
Respondents are tracking a variety of key performance indicators following implementation, with many focusing on denials and rejections (18%) and accounts receivable (11.1%). Facilities are also tracking discharged not final billed accounts (5.6%) and CC and MCC capture (4.9%). A majority of respondents (60.8%) are tracking all four of these key performance indicators.