AHA Issues ICD-10 Homestretch Checklist for Hospital Leaders
By - The American Hospital Association (AHA) has released an ICD-10 Homestretch Checklist to help hospital leaders finalize their action plans for October 1, 2015 ICD-10 implementation. The AHA urges hospital leaders to share this checklist with their ICD-10 transition team as yet another means to promote active readiness discussion. The AHA confirms a tri-fold objective of focus at this stage in the ICD-10 game is imperative for future success: checking internal systems, verifying external partner readiness, and considering financial protections.
Check internal systems
- The AHA recommends authenticating whether or not an organization’s systems and applications – including vendor software updates – are prepared when the ICD-10 deadline hits.
- Evaluate if more training needs to be conducted to make sure staff members, coders, clinicians, etc. are well prepared.
- Collectively assess documentation improvement efforts. Consider the currently implemented tools used to assist physicians plan and prepare supportive ICD-10 documentation.
- Ensure accessibility on behalf of your coding team to access coding guidelines, confirms AHA.
- Guesstimate to what extent coding productivity will decrease. Consider hiring additional short-term staff to close alleged future gaps.
Verify external partner readiness
- Make sure health plans and other trading partners are well prepared for the ICD-10 transition. The AHA advises finalizing communication plans and policies among various organizations.
- Gather emergency Medicare contractor and commercial insurers’ contact information to help smooth the aftermath of claims being delayed, AHA recommends.
- Record what may not be amply covered by HIPAA – perhaps workers compensation or automobile insurance, for instance. The AHA confirms making sure those specific steps needed to limit payment delays from these payers are clearly confirmed.
Consider financial protections
- AHA confirms it is vital to track current claims volume with verified metrics tied to monetary amounts. Doing so will formalize a baseline for tracking upcoming claims volume submitted and processed.
- When October 1, 2015 hits, AHA advises carefully tracking the status of submitted claims to avoid future financial hardship. Consider that claim status inquiries can be obtained via health plans through a web portal or through a health plan utilization of the HIPAA transaction standard for claim status.
- The AHA additionally confirms the importance of understanding trading partners’ policies and processes related to advance payments if payment delays become a reality. Consider that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has available resources to tuck into your back pocket now to prepare for upcoming financial struggles if a lag with Medical billing or payments occurs.
- Lastly, the AHA advises establishing credit lines that can be activated if the normalized revenue cycle is negatively impacted by processing delays following the ICD-10 switchover on October 1.
The healthcare industry waits to see what the ICD-10 aftermath will be upon the realm of revenue cycle management. There is still time to amp up preparation needs and perhaps consider one, several, or all of the aforementioned pieces of advice from the AHA as the next approximate 6 weeks unfold and the ever familiar chapter of ICD-9 closes.
