The type of ICD-10 training needed by clinical staff will depend upon a variety of factors. An advanced level of ICD-10 training will be required for any clinical staff that works directly with patients to provide medical care.

The role of clinical staff has changed over the years. Nurses, therapists and nurse practitioners are now on the forefront of patient care. Many work directly with super bills that may be eliminated and new methods must be learned.

New provisions in HIPAA compliance affects the dissemination of protected patient information. Any clinical staff in a practice that is involved with providing patient care or access to client health information will need a thorough understanding of ICD-10 coding, including staff that provides in-home therapy or care.

Depending upon their level of education, the individual practice, and the laws within the state, clinical staff can conduct exams, make diagnoses, give injections and are authorized to prescribe medications. They can prescribe physical therapy services, make referrals and order testing. These staff members will need specialized training in ICD-10 coding.

Health care coverage is undergoing major changes due to the Affordable Health Care Act. Depending upon the individual practice, clinical staff may be responsible for scheduling referral appointments and obtaining pre-authorizations. Clinical assistants will be affected by changes in health insurance policies and advanced beneficiary notices (ABNs) that will need to updated and reformatted.

One of the responsibilities for non-coding clinical staff will be to educate patients about all of these changes and how they will be affected. Clinical staff may also include technicians for practices that maintain on-site lab and testing facilities. In smaller practices, a single individual may wear many hats and ICD-10 training options must take that into account.

Large, comprehensive practices may encompass case workers, patient advocates and staff that oversee sales of medical products and devices. Clinical personnel in these capacities may need ICD-10 training, but not the intensive level of those who must enter ICD-10 coding. For many non-clinical personnel, the biggest shift with which they may have to adapt is procedural changes.

A byproduct of the Affordable Health Care Act is that patients will have increased access to their health information through patient portals, but it may result in an increased work load for clinical staff. A patient portal allows clients to access test results and other information, but it could result in an influx of calls to which clinical staff must respond.

The patient understanding of what medical personnel told them and subsequent coding may not be an exact terminology match, leading clients to contact the practice for clarification. Any terminology with which patients are unfamiliar or they disagree may result in calls and an additional workload.

Conversely, the greater specificity that coding clinical staff can utilize may be appreciated by older patients. ICD-10 allows clinicians to more accurately describe their level of pain or disability. The in-depth information may result in increased services for chronic conditions and pain management programs.

The bottom line for practitioners is that every member in the practice will need some type of familiarization with ICD-10 coding and/or the procedural changes the transition will engender. A careful analysis must be conducted to identify the level of training and ability each person has to provide effective training for everyone from the front desk and clinical staff to management.