ICD-10 Training: When, Where, and How Good?

As you remember from the first part of this article, the official compliance date for ICD-10 is October 1, 2014. Now is the time to begin to plan for ICD-10 training and education. How to create the training plan, learning styles, and training methods were covered previously.

Depending on the size of your practice a committee may need to be established to assist the project.

When to deliver training

The question of when to deliver training does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. Getting training too early is not recommended as it may need to be repeated if the education is not being used soon after. If you wait too long to get the education, individuals may not have enough time to work with the codes and become proficient before the implementation date.

Implementation training is currently being offered and should be completed by the first part of 2013. This type of training is ideal for those with the responsibility for their organization’s implementation of ICD-10. It is also beneficial for coders who want to understand the full implementation process.

Anatomy and pathophysiology is also currently offered and should be completed by the first part of 2013. Due to the clinical nature of ICD-10-CM, it is recommended that those without a very strong understanding of, or experience in, anatomy and/or physiology take a refresher course.

General ICD-10-CM code set training should be taken in 2013. This training will cover the complete guidelines and should include coding exercises. This training will also prepare coders for the ICD-10 Proficiency Assessment.

Specialty ICD-10 code set training should be completed in 2014. Specialty training is for those that want more detailed training for a particular specialty or more advanced multi-specialty training.

Who will provide the training?

Once you decide who is going to get training and what type of training they are going to get, you need to decide who will provide the training.

• Will you have your staff complete online training or will you send them to training events?

• Will you have someone in-house go get the training and come back to the office and train others?

• Will you bring the experts to you, to cater to and train your staff specifically?

These are all are good options. If you are having one or a few people training the others in your office, you need to make sure they are comfortable with conducting the training and are proficient with ICD-10.

Was the training successful?

Verifying that the training was successful is a vital step. Measure the productivity before and after the training. Design a survey to evaluate the trainee satisfaction and knowledge obtained. Talk with the trainees and get their perspectives on their training.

If the trainee does not feel that they are comfortable or proficient with ICD-10, get them more training! They may need a different type of training or just additional time to work with the codes.

As you can see now is the time to begin to plan for ICD-10 training and education. The size and scope of ICD-10 education must not be underestimated. With a good education plan, the education and training will be a success.

Jackie Stack, CPC, is an ICD-10 specialist for AAPC and can be reached here.