ATLANTA, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Just before the transition to ICD-10 was officially delayed, NueMD conducted a survey of 1,300 healthcare professionals to gauge their attitudes towards ICD-10. The survey, which garnered responses from all 50 states, found that 55 percent of respondents thought the transition to ICD-10 should be delayed or should not happen at all.

In comparison with a 2012 survey that asked the same question, 56 percent of respondents wanted a delay or no transition, suggesting there hasn't been any change in attitude over the last 18 months.

The survey also measured healthcare professionals' thoughts on financial and operational effects of the transition, state of mind, and trusted information sources. The responses carried a negative sentiment across the board.

73 percent of respondents said they expect a negative impact on their business's finances. When asked to state their level of concern for different business areas during the transition, 69 percent of respondents said they are significantly or highly concerned about "claims processing." Almost as worrisome was "payer testing," with 61 percent reporting they are significantly or highly concerned.

When asked about state of mind, 72 percent said they anticipate a negative impact on staff state of mind, with 67 percent thinking ICD-10 will have a negative effect on their personal state of mind.

With ICD-10 delayed again, medical practices might be tempted to relax their preparation efforts. Healthcare consultant Joseph Babaian offered the following advice.

"My primary advice is for medical practices to communicate closely with their vendors. Find out what your vendor is doing as a result of the new timeline, and find out how this will or will not impact any current or future implementation efforts."

To see the full survey results, please visit http://www.nuemd.com/icd-10/survey.

About NueMD
NueMD is a complete medical billing and practice management software solution powered by Nuesoft Technologies Inc. Founded in 1993 at the Georgia Institute of Technology's renowned Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), Nuesoft has consistently led software innovation in the HIT industry. The company continues to develop groundbreaking technology, including producing the first wholly Internet-based medical practice management system. In addition to software development, NueMD offers medical billing services for small- to mid-sized medical practices.

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SOURCE NueMD