AmeriHealth is keeping providers
informed about our transition to the new ICD-10 code sets and is actively
looking to obtain feedback from facilities and providers about their plans to
comply with the mandate.
On October 5 and October 11, 2011,
AmeriHealth hosted focus groups to discuss the ICD-10 transition. ICD-10
representatives from AmeriHealth-participating facilities were invited to
participate in a lunchtime discussion where they shared their plans and
challenges while preparing for the transition.
There were a number of common
challenges discussed among the focus group attendees that each facility is
facing while preparing for the transition to the new code sets. A few of those
challenges include:
- assessment and implementation
of staff resources needed for various ICD-10 work streams;
- assessment of the financial
impact involved with upgrading systems and processes;
- physician education and
adoption of increased specificity for clinical documentation;
- coder retention,
training, and certification in ICD-10.
Feedback received from the focus groups
determined that AmeriHealth facilities are in various stages of ICD-10
readiness, ranging from assessing the impact of ICD-10 to systems and processes
(e.g., working with a vendor to perform gap analyses), to beginning work on the
required changes (e.g., working with a practice management software vendor to
ensure systems are ICD-10 compliant).
AmeriHealth plans to host follow-up
ICD-10 focus groups in early 2012 to monitor the progress of facility ICD-10
readiness and to continue to share information that may be helpful for
overcoming additional challenges.
ICD-10 cash flow tips by Wells
Fargo
The financial impact of ICD-10 is one
of the many shared concerns of facilities and providers. In an effort to
address some of the financial impacts of the transition, Wells Fargo created
ICD-10 cash flow tips for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems
Society (HIMSS). Visit www.himss.org and
search ?Wells Fargo? for a PDF of the tip sheet.
Countdown to ICD-10
Begin the countdown to the ICD-10
implementation date of October 1, 2013, by downloading an ICD-10 countdown
clock to your facility or provider office website. Visit www.aapc.com/ICD-10/widgets/add-countdown-widget.aspx
to download the free ICD-10 countdown clock created by the American
Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). You can also download an ICD-10
timeline widget by visiting www.cms.gov/ICD10/03_ICD-10andVersion5010ComplianceTimelin
es.asp. The timeline widget, created by the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, is available for free download to your desktop or mobile
device. The timeline widget also can be shared by email, social media channels,
and/or embedded on your office website.
For more information about the
AmeriHealth transition to ICD-10, visit www.amerihealth.com/icd10.