Leading the Transition to ICD-10

Submitted by the House of Delegates Team on Best/Practices Standards

Preamble

Whereas, October 1, 2013, has been set by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as the date for adopting the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS (ICD-10-CM/PCS);

Whereas, ICD-10-CM/PCS provides significant improvements in reporting diagnostic and procedural data and brings the United States in line with coding systems used internationally;

Whereas, the adoption of ICD-10-CM/PCS will require integration with other health information priorities including enhanced privacy and security of patient information, regulatory compliance, and meaningful use of electronic records;

Whereas, the responsibility of assigning diagnosis and procedure codes resides within the domain of the health information management (HIM) profession:

Whereas, HIM professionals possess unique expertise in the capture, use, and understanding of clinical and financial healthcare data;

Whereas, ongoing professional development and lifelong learning are obligations of HIM professionals;

Whereas; the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) provides a broad and expanding range of resources to HIM professionals and the healthcare industry to aid in the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS;

Therefore, be it

Resolved, That HIM professionals act on their professional obligation to actively understand, learn, and engage in the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS;

Resolved, That HIM professionals take a leading role in training other healthcare professionals on the use of ICD-10-CM/PCS;

Resolved, That HIM professionals promote and utilize AHIMA and industry educational and training products, services, and resources for personal professional education and to aid in their facility’s implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS;

Resolved, That HIM professionals advocate for data integrity during all phases of the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS and the preservation of data integrity following implementation; and,

Resolved, That HIM professionals, through collaborative efforts, demonstrate the HIM profession’s leading role in the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS.

Approved by the AHIMA House of Delegates June, 18, 2010