Aisle to ICD-10 Kiosk – Set up your Practice

Why to Check Your Readiness ?

ICD-10 migration can’t be done at a rate of knots. It involves EHR/EMR system optimization, superbill revision, workflow adjustment, documentation amendments, ICD-10 testing, ICD-10 implementation, etc. To put it in a nutshell, ICD-10 coding is the skeletal system of your insurance reimbursement after the cut-off date – October 1, 2014. So, be equipped!

Simple Steps to Get Geared-up…

• Visit CMS: Get updated with ICD-10 reviews published by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with respect to ICD-10-CM/ PCS, General Equivalence Mapping (GEMs), transition basics, etc.

• What forms ? Get revised CMS-1500 Paper Claim Forms. CMS will set in motion receiving the revised from on January 6, 2014. Besides, CMS will stop accepting the conventional form from April 1, 2014.

• AMA Code Books: Order American Medical Association’s ICD-10-CM 2014 Codebook and Mappings 2014 to put the diagnostic codes in order and for ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM crosswalks.

• Connect your stakeholders: Identify appropriate clearinghouse partner, medical billing vendor and payers to scrutinize the feasibility of their implementation plans with your practice.

• Keep your documentation in harmony: You need to verify the ICD-9-CM documentation pattern and the lacunae must be identified. Then, the documentation by using templates, forms, sheets, reports, etc. must be modified as per the ICD-10 guidelines and workflow.

• Revise your current fee ticket: Maintain a note on the list of commonly used codes in ICD-9 and slot-in the corresponding ICD-10 codes in your revised superbill.

• Train your coding ally: Your coding and billing staffs must work in synchrony with the ICD-10 guidelines so that the codes, superbills, documentation, workflow pattern, etc. will bring you the dwindled denials and maximal reimbursements.

• Workflow – The reimbursement boulevard: Unconnected – documents alteration, staff training, tuned EHR/EMR and software technology, and adequate resource exploitation would be a jumble. Thus, organized workflow process is more than essential for your successful practice business.

• Money – The god of business: You need to forecast the fund requirements so as to invigorate your business and to balance the bad-debt/ARs – service outlays equilibrium. Notably, denials, write-offs, bad-debts, etc. must not bulldoze your funds.

• Testing – The ingress ! Conduct internal and external testing with suitable stakeholders and elements including clearinghouse, payers, billing vendor, coding/billing staffs, EHR/EMR and other systems, etc. Get acquainted with the common flaws and troubleshoots to combat real-time coding hindrances.

Get the ready to run the show on the road ! Make ICD-10 a grand success at your cash-cow practice !