There's more to communicating with healthcare payers than handing them a medical claim and saying, "Pay me."

Creating better relationships with your payers before Oct. 1, in fact, enables providers to glean important insights about testing results, changes to reimbursement, how to handle denied claims.

[Analysis: ICD-10: Where all the rhetoric meets reality.]

Early communication will also help healthcare providers test the ICD-10 claims process and prepare for DRG shifts. This puts a price tag on procrastination.

But how to begin?

The first step is to survey healthcare payers to understand ICD-10 readiness by asking:

1. Are you prepared to meet the ICD-10 deadline of Oct. 1?
2. Where is your organization in the transition process?
3. Will you conduct external testing?
4. What will we need to test with you?
5. When will you be ready to accept test transactions from my practice?
6. Will you be dual processing, and if so, when will you start?
7. What will happen if something goes wrong?
8. Who will be my primary contact at your organization for the ICD-10 transition?
9. Can we set up regular check-in meetings to keep our progress on track?
10. Do you anticipate any changes in policies or delays in payments to result from the switch to ICD-10?

In return, providers should expect to communicate the status of your transition, establish regular check-ins, and be willing to share any information, particularly surprises, with your payers.

This part of the ICD-10 transition will take time and effort but there will be reward — less financial disruption and stress.