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HCL Technologies has been selected by United Health Group, a healthcare player in the US, to support the latter's transition to a new diagnostic and healthcare coding system.
The new code, ‘ICD-10', is the latest medical classification list for coding of diseases, symptoms, findings and diagnosis. Although many countries are using this system to classify diseases and mortality data, the US is still on the previous version – ‘ICD-9' – for reporting of healthcare diagnosis, procedures and medicare claims.
The US has now set a deadline of October 1, 2013 to move to this new system. The shift will necessitate an overhaul of the current systems and business operations in the healthcare sector.
New version
It will also involve new software installations and employee training – the new version is said to contain nearly six times as many codes as the previous version. It will increase the diagnostic codes from 14,000 to 67,000, and hospital procedure codes from 13,000 to 85,000.
After the deadline, medical claims that do not adhere to the new coding system will be rejected in the US. Since the transition will require investment in upgrading of IT systems, it poses significant opportunities for Indian players such as HCL Technologies, TCS, and Infosys.
“HCL is committed to helping the healthcare industry prepare for the transition and will continue to add value to the customers through comprehensive service offerings. Our customers will be able to realize the benefits of the transition quickly,” said Mr Pradeep Nair, Senior Vice-President for Healthcare, HCL Technologies.
Mapping tool
United Health Group will incorporate HCL's ‘ICD Crosswalk Mapping tool' into its healthcare management portfolio to ensure a smooth transition to the new coding system. HCL's software tool provides features to analyse data, configure rules and automate the mapping from the old to new codes, a HCL statement said. But the company did not divulge the size of the order.
HCL conducted significant research prior to beginning the transition process for the US company. It analysed historical data for over six months, which included 600 million claims service lines.
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