Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Canada adopted the International Classification of Diseases version 9 (ICD-9) in 1979. This is still used by many doctors for the process of getting paid for their medical services during outpatient visits. However, the ICD-9 system is outdated and does not reflect today's healthcare system or patients. Our project examined newer types of systems that could replace ICD-9. We also explored the perspectives of family physicians and other organizations, such as government, medical associations, and clinical vendors, to see what they think about replacing ICD-9 and how this could be successfully achieved. We used a mixed methods approach, including an online coding exercise for physicians and interviews and focus groups to further discuss barriers and facilitators for adopting a new coding system across Canada. We found that most physicians are supportive of replacing ICD-9. Overall, participants were concerned about costs, time to adopt a new system, difficulty adjusting, whether it would integrate with current processes, and unclear if a new system was necessary. Participants told us that a successful transition would include understanding the reason for changing systems and the benefits, collaboration, implementation/change management support, and seamless integration with their computer systems.