Australia began their ICD-10 coding standard in 1999. Canada has been using ICD-10 nationwide since 2006. These countries have already been through the process of implementation with all of its problems and headaches. With the idea that, “Those who do no learn from history are doomed to repeat it” here are 6 things we can learn from the Australian and Canadian ICD-10 Implementation:
Education
Australia took the time to meet with analysts, coders, and healthcare professionals to create educational materials. They utilized their resources and took the time to educate their coders on ICD-10. This process began 18 months before it was implemented, which reduced lag times and lead to normal coding production after 12-16 weeks on average.
