A white paper developed by QHR Consulting Services (QHR) and Kforce Healthcare Solutions has outlined in-depth and unforeseen impacts of an ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition for a 350 bed medical center in Colorado.
Brentwood, Tenn. (PRWEB) February 16, 2012
The medical center engaged QHR and Kforce to perform a comprehensive ICD-10 readiness assessment to identify time, budget and resources required for the planning, preparation and ICD-10 implementation phases. Through the assessment effort, QHR and Kforce evaluated the medical center’s systems, tools and vendor relationships and identified how the conversion to ICD-10 would impact the medical center’s finance, technology and health information management operations, which included the revenue cycle.
J. Talbot Land, Revenue Cycle Practice Leader for QHR Consulting Services, noted that one of the major findings of the project was that the ICD-10 conversion would require the medical center to invest over 35,000 hours through the end of 2013 to implement all required tasks and activities: “With this valuable information, QHR/Kforce was able to help the medical center management prioritize and plan for the significant ICD-10 implementation -- among other competing medical center initiatives.”
“Talent and time are still running out for ICD-10 implementation—even with a potential extension of the implementation deadline, hospitals need to develop their ICD-10 remediation plan now so they can understand the resources they will need to meet the new deadline,” said Keith Fulmer, Kforce Healthcare Solutions Vice President. “Our experience shows that many healthcare facilities are not fully prepared for the scope, cost, and staffing challenges of an ICD-10 conversion. To help this hospital plan ahead, we conducted an in depth assessment of technology, HIM, revenue cycle, clinical documentation and finance and ultimately identified critical challenges that could result in lost revenue, reimbursement and reduced quality.”
While the medical center estimated only six IT systems would be affected by an ICD-10 transition, 27 systems needing remediation were identified in the project. Additionally, more than one thousand hospital employees and community physicians would require training for the ICD-10 transition.
The executives of the medical center supported the findings of the ICD-10 readiness assessment report from QHR Consulting Services and Kforce, and were delighted to have an accurate roadmap and budget for the facility’s ICD-10 transition. The medical center’s executive noted, “Our ICD-10 consulting engagement with QHR and Kforce has helped position our hospital with the tools needed to prepare for the mandatory conversion in 2013.” Mr. Land and Mr. Fulmer will present “Know what you don't know, leveraging an assessment to build a remediation plan” at the upcoming HIMSS conference on Tuesday, February 21 at 4:15 p.m.
QHR Consulting Services and Kforce can help healthcare facilities understand the systems, training and ICD-10 staffing support that will likely be necessary for a successful ICD-10 implementation.
About QHR
QHR (Quorum Health Resources) has provided consulting, management and education resources to hospitals and health systems for three decades. QHR is the market leader in hospital management, with nearly 150 current multi-year clients across the U.S. As a consulting resource, QHR is the seventh largest healthcare management consulting firms in the U.S., and the QHR Learning Institute reaches more than 10,000 healthcare professionals each year. For more information, go to http://www.qhr.com.
About Kforce Healthcare Solutions
Kforce Healthcare Solutions is a division of Kforce Inc. (NASDAQ: KFRC), a $1 billion professional staffing and solutions firm founded in 1962. We work with healthcare providers across the U.S., many of which are among the nation’s top Honor Roll Hospitals. We operate in more than 60 offices throughout the United States and one office in the Philippines. Backed by our associates and consultants on assignment, Kforce is committed to “Great People = Great Results” for our valued clients and candidates. For more information, visit http://www.kforce.com/Healthcare-Solutions.
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Nicole Mostaccio
Quorum Health Resources
615-371-4943
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