The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pretty much sucked the energy out of the week by announcing there will be some ICD-10 timeline re-examination.

What such the ICD-10 implementation delay will look like is unknown. I'm holding off on any predictions.

But I do know that the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is holding its annual conference in Las Vegas next week. Don't skip the ICD-10 session. You're going to need the information. In that spirit, I'm going to share with you some resources that may have gotten lost amidst all the applause and panic this week.

Big Data’s Impact in the World

Before we talk about ICD-10 codes and HIPAA 5010 compliance, you should read this article about big data. It touches upon on the uses of big data in healthcare just very lightly:

"The predictive power of Big Data is being explored — and shows promise — in fields like public health, economic development and economic forecasting. Researchers have found a spike in Google search requests for terms like “flu symptoms” and “flu treatments” a couple of weeks before there is an increase in flu patients coming to hospital emergency rooms in a region (and emergency room reports usually lag behind visits by two weeks or so)."

But the larger point is that data analysis is becoming a strategic advantage in all aspects of commerce and culture. How long before it evolves into a basic survival skill? (NYTimes.com)

What you don’t need to know about ICD-10

Rhonda Butler breaks down the structure of ICD-10-CM codes to illustrate that you don't have to memorize everything. (PhysBizTech)

HIT Careers: Where to find opportunities in ICD-10 implementation

Medical coders won't be the only healthcare professionals who will benefit from ICD- 10 implementation. (ICD10 Watch)

ICD-10 Transition: How to engage, not scare, physicians

Hospitals need to get their physicians more involved with ICD-10 transitions. (ICD10 Watch)

5 tips for ICD-10 implementation

Some good ideas for a smoother ICD-10 transition

1. Providers should conduct a “three-prong” ICD-10 opportunities assessment and develop a roadmap for implementation.
2. Hospitals will need to upgrade multiple information technology systems to support the conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
3. Don’t underestimate the role of the vendor in the transition.
4. During the initial implementation, expect productivity impacts on the functional areas that routinely use ICD-9 codes.
5. Transition planning is important; providers should be prepared to run dual systems.

(Healthcare IT News)

ICD-10 Summit Session 3

IDC Health Insights says its ICD-10 Testing Survey shows healthcare payers are overly optimistic about meeting the ICD-10 deadline. (Edifecs)

3 Preparation Steps for ICD-10 to Start Now, Despite CMS News

Lorraine Schnelle has three tips for your project planning. Which work for just about any project not just ICD-10 implementation. (The BridgeBlog)

Clinical Documentation Improvement Key to ICD-10 Survival

Mark Morsch explains clinical documentation improvement (CDI) is needed for a successful ICD-10 transition. Which is easier said than done. But natural language processing (NLP) can help. (Healthcare-Exchange)

ICD-10 and the Financial Impact

When there's talk about how much ICD-10 implementation will cost, it's usually about systems and software. But there are other budgets that will need to account for pieces of the ICD-10 transition:

• Training and education budget
• Staff overtime expense
• Claims processing and denials management

(The BridgeBlog)

5010 Logjam Means No Pay for Physicians

Joe Cantlupe reports that a large number of physicians aren't being reimbursed payments due to them due to HIPAA 5010 issues. (HealthLeaders Media)

CMS: Prepare Now for April 1 5010 Enforcement

Jim Denny warns us that it's getting close to the HIPAA 5010 enforcement deadline. Which means penalties for non-compliance. (ICD-10 Hub)

Press Release Roundup

• EmblemHealth Selects Edifecs As Strategic ICD-10 Partner: New York State Health Insurance Provider Will Leverage Edifecs ICD-10 Solution to Mitigate Risks and Manage the Code Transition.

•  U.S. Hospitals Prepare for ICD-10 Implementation with 3M 360 Encompass System: Healthcare reform, new compliance regulations, and the move to outcomes-based payment are putting pressure on clinical documentation and coding processes at hospitals across the country. To address these challenges and help transition to the new ICD-10 coding standard, 42 healthcare organizations have selected the 3M 360 Encompass System.

• AAPC Introduces Online Exam Review for Medical Auditors:  AAPC, the nation’s largest training and credentialing association for the business side of medicine, announced the CPMA® (Certified Professional Medical Auditor) Online Exam Review for experienced auditors.