Career Step Develops Healthcare Facility Self-evaluation As Result of WEDI ICD-10 Readiness Survey Results

PROVO, UT, April 27, 2013 (Press-News.org) As a result of the low levels of ICD-10 readiness reported through the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) survey results published by ModernHealthcare.com earlier this month, Career Step, an online education company, and YES HIM Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in ICD-10 preparation, have developed a self-evaluation to help healthcare facilities gauge whether their organizations are among those not making the progress necessary to be prepared for the ICD-10 transition.

"Because facilities are focused on their current DNFB (Discharged Not Final Billed), many are not allowing scheduled time for their coders to learn ICD-10 and will, therefore, not be adequately prepared for the ICD-10 transition," said Karen Youmans, MPA, RHIA, CCS, President of YES HIM Consulting, Inc. "To help financial and clinical documentation stakeholders determine where their organizations are in their ICD-10 preparation efforts, we have developed a number of self-evaluation points."

Institutions can quickly evaluate their ICD-10 preparedness by asking stakeholders if they can confidently confirm the following statements for their organizations:

1. Coders have received role-based biomedical science training in ICD-10 specific anatomy, pathophysiology, medical terminology and pharmacology.
2. Coder assessments have shown that coders have retained the ICD-10 specific biomedical sciences knowledge they need in order to be prepared for ICD-10 code set training.
3. Selected code training incorporates the ICD-10 Coding Guidelines, incrementally delivers CM training by chapter and PCS training by root operation, and gives coders the opportunity to practice new concepts and skills throughout the training.

Ensuring ICD-10 readiness prior to the mandated implementation date is critical to avoiding financial and productivity losses; however, the WEDI survey results clearly indicate that many healthcare facilities are not making the progress necessary to avoid these setbacks.

Career Step and YES HIM Consulting, Inc. have partnered to develop a number of ICD-10 preparation resources, and Career Step is included in the WEDI ICD-10 Resource Directory. For information on accelerating ICD-10 preparation efforts, visit CareerStep.com/icd-10 or call 1-888-989-7512.

About Career Step
Career Step is an online education company providing career-focused education as well as corporate learning and assessment solutions. With over 20 years of experience, the company has trained more than 70,000 students and offers online programs in the healthcare, administration, and technology industries. In addition to career training, Career Step also offers corporate learning solutions, customizable knowledge and skill assessment tools, and The ICD-10 Solution, a comprehensive training offering co-developed with YES HIM Consulting, Inc. that provides ICD-10 training planning, project management, and education to ensure a successful transition to the ICD-10 code set. For more information on the Career Step programs, please visit corporatetraining.careerstep.com or call 1-888-989-7512.

About YES HIM Consulting, Inc.
YES HIM Consulting, Inc. is a small consulting firm with a personal touch and consists of 25 experienced team associates—all who have over 20+ years experience in healthcare, Health Information Management, and coding. Our consulting team focuses on utilizing their expertise in ICD-10 Coding education & training, Coding Compliance Audits, Revenue Cycle improvement projects, and Unbilled management to assist our clients. YES HIM Consulting, Inc. clients include small to large hospitals, healthcare systems, and encoding vendors. Our team also currently consists of twelve AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainers with additional team members becoming AHIMA-approved trainers in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.yes-himconsulting.com or call 727-531-3839.