The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) has released the results of its latest ICD-10 readiness survey released in February 2015. The findings suggest that while there has been incremental progress along some activities, the uncertainty created by past delays is a catalyst for stagnation that could put entities at risk come October 1, 2015. Based on responses from 1174 participants including 796 providers, 173 vendors, and 203 health plans, an increase of more than 100% from the August 2014 survey, WEDI summarized its findings in its March 31, 2015 letter to Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.

• Compliance date uncertainty: Uncertainty around further delays was listed as a primary obstacle to implementation, appearing on more than 50 percent of all responses for vendors, health plans and providers.
• Health plan testing: More than 50 percent of health plans have begun external testing, and of these, a few have completed testing. This is a slight improvement from the prior survey.
• Vendor product availability: About 60 percent indicated their vendor products were available or they had started customer testing. This is a slight decrease from about two-thirds in the August 2014 survey. However, the number that responded ‘unknown’ decreased from one eighth to just a handful.
• Provider testing: Only 25 percent of provider respondents had begun external testing and only a few others had completed this step. This is actually a decrease from the about 35 percent of provider respondents that had begun external testing in the August 2014 survey.

Independent of the state of industry readiness, NYP continues to be ahead of the curve in both its diligence, remediation, and testing activities as it moves toward an internal ICD-10 implementation date of July 1, 2015.

To view WEDI press release and the letter to Secretary Burwell, click here.