The document discusses the importance for home health agencies to prepare for the upcoming ICD-10 coding changes. It recommends agencies start staff training 6-9 months before the October 2014 deadline and allocate budget for necessary software upgrades. It also stresses the importance of setting up management metrics to monitor the transition's impact on accounts receivable, coding, billing and trends. Agencies that are unprepared are advised to seek help from professional home health consultants.

1. What
Your
Home
Health
Agency
Needs
to
Know
About
ICD-­‐10
Coding
ICD-­‐10
coding
changes
are
upon
the
home
health
care
industry
and
the
deadline
for
compliance
is
coming
up
fast.
Agencies
who
aren’t
ready
by
the
implementation
deadline
face
serious
billing
issues
that
will
likely
affect
reimbursements.
To
prepare
your
agency
for
the
road
ahead,
there
are
a
few
things
you
should
know
about
the
ICD-­‐10
conversion.
Staff
Training
Home
health
agencies
will
be
required
to
start
using
the
new
ICD-­‐10
codes
starting
on
October
1,
2014.
ICD-­‐10
coding
is
highly
complex
and
even
those
seasoned
in
ICD-­‐9
codes
need
proper
training.
CMS
has
placed
an
increased
emphasis
on
coding
accuracy,
and
claims
that
are
submitted
incorrectly
may
be
denied
or
returned
for
revision,
costing
your
agency
revenue.
The
American
Health
Information
Management
Association
recommends
that
home
health
agencies
start
training
for
the
conversion
no
less
than
six
to
nine
months
before
the
October
ICD-­‐10
implementation
deadline.
Training
needs
will
vary
depending
on
your
agency,
but
in
general
coders
require
about
fifty
hours
of
training.
In
addition,
some
agencies
may
need
to
complete
high-­‐level
ICD-­‐10
coding
for
clinical
documentation.
If
you
haven’t
begun
your

2. training
and
implementation
program
yet,
home
health
consultants
can
help
setup
and
manage
the
process
for
you.
Software
Updates
and
Requirements
Software
upgrades
and
licenses
will
be
required
to
transition
to
ICD-­‐10
coding
as
well,
so
your
agency
should
set
aside
funds
in
your
budget
to
prepare
for
these
changes.
You
will
want
to
discuss
them
with
your
software
vendor,
inquiring
about
their
readiness,
training
materials,
and
accessibility
to
the
software
for
in-­‐house
training
before
the
implementation.
If
your
vendor
isn’t
taking
a
proactive
approach
in
preparing
for
ICD-­‐10,
you
may
want
to
consider
a
new
vendor
to
avoid
any
interruption
in
your
home
health
agency’s
business.
Setting
Up
Management
Metrics
Management
metrics
help
your
agency
monitor
the
conversion
to
ICD-­‐10
coding
on
a
weekly,
monthly,
and
quarterly
basis.
At
a
very
basic
level,
you
must
monitor
your
accounts
receivable,
coding
and
billing,
and
trending.
These
areas
will
be
impacted
by
ICD-­‐10
the
most
after
the
transition
is
complete.
In
addition,
some
other
metrics
you
may
want
to
implement
and
monitor
include:
• Number
of
queries
sent
to
your
staff
• Coding
accuracy
• Coder’s
productivity
rates
• AR
days
by
the
payer
• First
pass
resolve
rate
• Number
and
the
type
of
rejects
received
(coding
errors,
payer
rule
errors,
medically
necessary,
prior
authorization,
etc.)
Getting
prepared
for
ICD-­‐10
coding
requires
extensive
pre-­‐planning
that
should
have
begun
before
2014
began.
If
your
agency
isn’t
prepared
for
the
ICD-­‐10
implementation,
now
is
the
time
to
enlist
the
help
of
a
professional.
Kenyon
HomeCare
Consulting
provides
comprehensive
outsourcing
services,
including
all
aspects
of
coding,
documentation,
training,
and
review
services
to
help
your
staff
get
ready
for
the
conversion.
Schedule
an
appointment
with
one
of
our
home
health
consultants
to
discuss
your
ICD-­‐10
challenges
by
visiting
www.KenyonHCC.com,
and
don’t
forget
to
sign
up
for
our
weekly
newsletter,
Kenyon
Connects.
We’ll
be
providing
ICD-­‐10
coding
tips
in
the
coming
months,
in
addition
to
our
usual
tips
for
growing
your
agency.