AHIMA recommends training should begin
no more than six months before the compliance deadline. Training
varies for different organizations, but is projected to take 16 hours for
coders and 50 hours for inpatient coders. For example, physician
practice coders will need to learn ICD-10 diagnosis coding only, while hospital
coders will need to learn both ICD-10 diagnosis and ICD-10 inpatient procedure
coding.
Look for specialty-specific ICD-10 training offered by specialty societies and
other professional organizations. Take into account that ICD-10 coding training
will be integrated into the CEUs that certified coders must take to maintain
their credentials.
ICD-10 resources and training materials will be available through CMS,
professional associations and societies, and software/system vendors. Visit www.cms.gov/ICD10
regularly throughout the course of the transition to access the latest
information on training opportunities.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, www.cms.gov, February 2014.