Baptist Health System rethinks budget, staffing to prepare for ICD-10 implementation

Why This Topic Matters

ICD-10 readiness affected multiple operational areas at once, including workforce planning, education, and financial forecasting. The article helps readers understand the broad categories of organizational decisions that can influence preparedness and transition planning.

Article Sections

1. The role of new coders

   Discusses workforce planning efforts related to bringing in and training recent graduates to support coding operations and broader ICD-10 preparation.

2. The impact of the delay on budgeting

   Covers how the organization revisited its coding budget, timing for planned expenses, and related education and staffing priorities after the delay.

3. Organizational decisions to make

   Introduces several areas leaders were advised to review when preparing for ICD-10, including workflow, analytics, measurement, and staffing readiness.

4. Outpatient surgical coding

   Addresses broader planning considerations for outpatient procedural coding and the training implications of the chosen approach.

5. Code and revenue analytics

   Describes the value of reviewing coding and revenue data to understand transition impacts and support ongoing monitoring.

6. Productivity monitoring and measurement

   Focuses on tracking performance indicators and using dashboards or similar tools to monitor transition-related trends.

7. Staffing considerations

   Explores workforce issues that affect ICD-10 readiness, including retention, burnout, hiring, and recruitment strategies.

8. Strengthen retention

   Discusses approaches for keeping coding staff engaged and competitive in the labor market through compensation and benefits planning.

9. Manage burnout

   Looks at the workload pressures tied to ICD-10 preparation and the importance of communication and support for staff members.

10. Ramp up new coders

    Covers timing considerations for restarting hiring and allowing enough lead time to onboard additional coders.

11. Focus on recruitment

    Reviews recruitment planning with human resources and the need to align job requirements with changing department needs.

12. Creative staffing solutions

    Describes alternative staffing approaches that can support long-term workforce planning and familiarity with organizational operations.