Acquaint yourself with the top 30 diagnoses that your practice sees and you'll get a head start toward compliance. If you've taken a look at the ICD-10 book, you know that it would be virtually impossible to memorize all of the codes that it contains. But preparing for ICD-10 won't require you to even try to know the codes by heart, CMS reps indicated during the August 3 CMS call, "ICD-10 Implementation Strategies for Physicians." Take heart: What do physicians need to do for the conversion? Strategy: Physicians should tighten up documentation: Non-Medicare Payers Are Also Prepping for Conversion CMS has no intention of delaying the implementation of ICD-10 beyond the Oct. 1, 2013, date, said CMS's Kyle Miller during the call. However, not all entities are prepared for the conversion, he noted. As of July 2011, 11 state Medicaid programs are at high risk for not meeting the ICD-10 implementation date, while 21 states are at moderate risk, 15 are at low risk, and four states have not informed CMS as to where they are in the process. "It's important to note there are still two years to go," Miller added, and CMS is working with the high risk states to ensure that they get ready on time. Interestingly, many non-required entities such as workers compensation programs and property and casualty insurers are also working toward ICD-10 readiness, Miller said, and are researching how to convert to the new system. CMS Will Soon Issue Claims Processing Advice CMS is "very, very close" to determining how to process claims that span the ICD-10 implementation date, said CMS's Sarah Shirey-Losso during the call. For instance, suppose a procedure begins at 10 pm on Sept. 30, 2013, and ends at 2 am on Oct. 1, 2013. "Some claims will continue to use the 'from' date, some claims will continue to use the 'discharge' and/or 'through' date, and some claims will be required to be split over the October first date," she said. CMS plans to issue a change request that addresses this issue within the next month, Shirey-Losso said.