Carl Natale

Budgeting for the ICD-10 transition will be trickier than you think. You need to set aside funds for more than software and equipment upgrades.

Learning the ICD-10-CM/PCS code set is going to take a lot of time. Cutting back on training is tempting when the ICD-10 implementation budget grows.

ICD-10 implementation can be a major disruption for many healthcare organizations. Except for healthcare payers.

I don't see a lot of physicians who are fans of ICD-10 implementation. I can understand why physicians don't see a lot of upside to ICD-10 coding - just costs.

The ICD-10 transition budget will help you assess how much ICD-10 implementation will cost. It's going to cover the resources needed for training, testing, compensating for decreased productivity and support implementation activities.

Even when you consider the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Group Management Association - American College of Medical Practice Executives (MGMA-ACMPE) reacted to the Oct. 1, 2014, ICD-10 deadline, there wasn't a lot of drama.

When I write about ICD-10 being part of a bigger picture, it's usually in the context of provider-payer reimbursement models. But there's a different way that ICD-10 implementation is going to force change.

The ICD-10 transition is about more than medical coding. It's part of a bigger picture. A picture that's not totally in focus.

It's official. ICD-11 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The American Medical Association (AMA) says so.

The Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) is an American Medical Association committee that makes recommendations of what medical procedures are worth. The radio show Marketplace looks at how the secretive committee influences health-care pricing.