{Straight talk for clients}
This month we’re bringing clarity to all the hype around ICD-10. We’ve heard from many of you and know that there’s a lot of anxiety around the 10/1/2015 deadline. Given the large differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10, there are many things to consider as you strive to maintain a continuity of care for your patients and some semblance of normalcy for yourselves. With this in mind, we pinged one of our industry affiliates whose expertise with CMS reimbursement and operationalizing defensible payment spans 30 years.
June 2015
Dear WoundExpert,
Will WoundExpert be ready for the ICD-10 deadline? How can I get ready? Where do I start? Is there an ICD-10 easy button for this?!
There are so many valid questions that we’ve been fielding for the last several months that we decided to focus this month’s Flash on a conglomeration of your inquiries. It’s clear that the transition to ICD-10 is among your top priorities recently, and rightfully so.
The Scenario
You’re ready to prepare your facility and teams for ICD-10 but aren’t quite sure where to begin.
Well rest assured, WoundExpert is ready to support your efforts. We can:
- Facilitate easy, comprehensive documentation during your transition via an ICD-9 to ICD-10 testing site
- Provide full diagnosis reference information at the point of ICD-10 code selection
What we can’t do is kick start your preparations outside of the software.
Thankfully, we have some pretty amazing connections in the industry, so we’ve tagged Valerie Rinkle, MPA to offer some guidance on your outside prep work. Valerie is best known for her expertise in CMS reimbursement and Outpatient Prospective Payment Systems (OPPS). In this month’s edition, she offers some perspective and recommendations on those preparation efforts you’re undertaking outside of WoundExpert. Her guidance will shed some light and maybe offer some motivation to help you stay focused on promising pay offs at the end of this journey: prompt claim submissions, reduction in anticipated denials, faster reimbursement, and more.
See what Valerie has to say, read her article here.
The Solution
It feels like we’ve been focused on this one for years now, too! There are several tools available to you now and in the works for 10/1/15 that will support diagnosis code selection and facilitate thorough supporting documentation.
Some of the key features that can help you execute on Valerie’s recommendations:
- Start at point A. We’ve provided a cross-walk to an ICD-10 code for many of the most relevant ICD-9 codes in wound care.
- Set your favorites. The quick reference screen within the Problem List will be updated to allow you to include your most commonly used ICD-10 codes.
- Practice makes perfect! Enable a testing environment that supports dual coding (ICD-9 and ICD-10) to help your team get familiar with their most common ICD-10 selections.
- References upon request. A new popup tool has been added to both the Superbill and Problem List to highlight the documented wound characteristics needed to identify the most appropriate ICD-10 code.
Call to Action
Practice. Setup your favorite codes and give your team a reference or testing platform today! Learn more about the tools available to help you on your journey. Contact Net Health Client Services via the feedback button, feedback@nhsinc.com, or give us a call: 800-411-6281, option 2.
As always, check out our “Coming Soon” tab within the WoundExpert help menu for more information.
WoundExpert Experts
This month’s contributors include Heather Miller, Business Analyst, and Sheila Cougras, Director of Regulatory/Compliance, both on the Product Management team.
Our feature article was written by Valerie Rinkle, MPA, Associate Director with Navigant Consulting known for her expertise in CMS reimbursement and Outpatient Prospective Payment Systems (OPPS).
