As insurers prepare to switch to ICD-10, some are shifting their focus to coordinating with providers, particularly small to medium doctor offices, to ensure a smooth transition next year to the new code set, AIS Health reported.
Particularly challenging to insurers is guaranteeing providers’ ICD-10 systems are tested and ready to operate come the October 2014 compliance deadline. Insurers don’t want the codes to cause them to pay too much for services, but they also want to ensure revenue neutrality for providers, David Barth, senior director of strategic development for Post-N-Track Corp., told AIS Health.
Independence Blue Cross, for example, expects to be ready for the ICD-10 implementation despite the multiple changes to the rule, which as FierceHealthIT previously reported culminated in a one-year deadline extension, that affected its momentum. But the Philadelphia-based insurer is still concerned about whether its providers will be prepared.
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