ICD-10: Widespread Adoption

In mid 2015 Congress voted to make ICD-10 the new de facto medical classification list. While ICD-10 had been around a bit before this vote it's adoption rate was slow as health professionals, like everyone else, had a tendency to stick with familiar older programs. Following the congressional vote however even stalwarts began to appreciate ICD-10 a whole lot more. Following the vote a great deal information regarding the program was given freely to medical professionals all over the country. After educating themselves health care professionals began to support the newest revision. Now in the early part of 2016 appreciation and adoption of ICD-10 is nearly universal and growing rapidly.

Not So Fast

Although the vast majority of health care professionals have come to appreciate ICD-10 implementation was initially slow. This is why Congress voted to make October 2015 the deadline for implementation. Even those professionals whom wanted to adopt the new revision were hesitant due to the immense education they and their staffs would need. There were also financial costs to consider in implementing ICD-10 which made some practices and other professionals extremely apprehensive. Fortunately the deadline was met by a large percentage of health care professionals and while many are learning as they go, the efficacy of ICD-10 is far greater than its predecessor.

A Snails Pace

Smaller practices and those professionals operating on small budgets are still lagging behind the rest of health industry. Of those lagging behind approximately 21% are on track with prep and implementation while another 23% report lacking the resources necessary for implementation. While some find these numbers alarming, many professionals are both sympathetic and willing to be patient. While having the entire industry upgraded to ICD-10 would make things easier for everyone it is a process that takes time with or without congressional deadlines.

Low Cost And Assistance

In order to facilitate a faster move to ICD-10 both Congress and other health care professionals are developing assistance programs to help small practices and health businesses implement the upgrade. Fortunately the upgrade is fairly inexpensive, relatively speaking of course, and the upgrade begins paying for itself immediately by giving health care personnel greater control over their business and by reducing operating costs. Small practices need only to reach out to other providers for help. Most are willing to share information freely and point people in the direction of proper help.

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