HIMSS G7, a World Bank-endorsed, sponsor-led initiative from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is focusing on effective implementation of ICD-10 in its latest advisory report, “Implementing ICD-10 by the Compliance Date:  A Call to Action.” The report includes “actionable steps” healthcare stakeholders can take to successful comply with the ICD-10 code-set in time for the Oct. 1, 2014 deadline.

 “We know it takes a collaborative effort to implement, test and remediate systems and processes for ICD-10.  This new report provides a call to action so we can best use the new Oct. 1, 2014 timeline to ensure all providers – including the smallest provider groups – are ready.  Instead of waiting until the last minute, it would behoove providers to prepare as if the deadline is still Oct. 1, 2013---thus allowing for one full year of ICD-10 testing and remediation, both internally and externally,” said Juliet A Santos, senior director of business-centered Systems for HIMSS, said in a statement.

The first step in the report is the achievement of broad stakeholder support for an ICD-10 pilot program including end-to-end business process testing. The second step is to accelerate vendor readiness, with the next step being the expansion of education for physician groups and providers. The fourth step is to recognize the cooperating parties for accurate and consistent coding including Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), National Center for Health Statistics, (NCHS), American Hospital Association (AHA), and American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

In addition, the HIMSS G7 expressed support for existing collaborations, and the idea of developing new ones, with organizations to create more ICD-10 readiness educational programs and tools. They mention some in the report.