“If anyone is suggesting that ICD-10 will not create a productivity drop in the days after compliance, they must be practicing silent protest. Most experts agree that come the flip-switch October 1, 2013 compliance deadline even seasoned, well-trained coders will take longer with the ICD-10 than they did with ICD-9. The overarching question is whether or not coders will master ICD-10 and, in so doing, resume ICD-9-era productivity?
An expanding camp of healthcare experts and industry bodies is answering that question with a definitive “No!” The AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders), for instance, posted an article last week, ICD-10 Impact on Productivity, explaining the causes of lower productivity, and saying that “productivity will not return to normal upon implementation. There will be a delay as we assess how the payers interpret the new coding system”.”
Article
Tom Sullivan, ICD10 Watch, 21 March 2011
