EYECARE: Optometry What to Ask Your EHR Software Vendors About the Switch to ICD-10 By John Sailer Monday, June 15, 2015 12:08 AM RELATED CONTENT Countdown to ICD-10: 10 Steps to Get Ready, Set, Go! Software Is the Key to Switching to ICD-10 Additional ICD-10 Resources Your electronic health record system will be an integral part of converting to ICD-10. Here’s a list of questions related to your EHR software as suggested by Jeff Grant of Healthcare Management and Automation Systems Inc. and Robert Tennant of the Medical Group Management Association: Is there an upgrade available? If not, is replacement software available? When will the upgrade or replacement be available? How long will it take to implement the new configuration? Does the system offer GEMS—General Equivalency Mapping—a function that maps from the ICD-9 code to the ICD-10 code, or an equivalent function? Can the software take an ICD-9 code used for an individual patient and carry that forward as an ICD-10 code after Oct. 1? Will the software allow for producing both ICD-9 and ICD-10 after Oct. 1? Is the software ready to test for ICD-10 today? Will the system require hardware upgrades too? How much will the total upgrade or replacement, including training, cost?