GlobeNewswire (02/16/12)

In performing an assessment of whether a 350-bed medical center in Colorado was ready for the conversion to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (known as “ICD-10”), Kforce Healthcare Solutions and QHR Consulting Services found that it would have to devote 35,000 hours through the end of next year to complete all the necessary tasks. In addition to upgrading 27 information technology systems, instead of the six the medical center anticipated, it would have to train more than 1,000 hospital employees and community physicians to make the transition to ICD-10. “Our experience shows that many health care facilities are not fully prepared for the scope, cost, and staffing challenges of an ICD-10 conversion,” says Keith Fulmer, executive vice president of Kforce Healthcare Solutions.