Wednesday, November 24, 2010
10 Steps to Get Ready for ICD-10 Changes
10 Steps for Providers to Get Ready for ICD-10
These 10 steps will help your organization get ready for the transition to the ICD-10 code sets.
1. Establish governance and responsibility: Identify a project manager and set up a multidisciplinary team and governance steering committee. Communicate the financial ramifications of not being ready to gain buy-in and funding from the executive team.
2. Launch your ICD-10 compliance initiative: Hold your kick-off meeting and communicate timelines and impacts of the change to all staff. Ensure coders, physicians and other billing staff understands the impact of reimbursement and days in accounts receivable for claims that are not properly coded or substantiated.
3. Conduct a readiness assessment: Assess the impact to policies and procedures, payor contracts, training needs, staff augmentation or outstanding and determined software vendor readiness.
4. Create an integrated project plan detailing essential components for success: Include a communications plan, department training and a software roadmap.
5. Identify clinical documentation required for coding: Reinforce the requirements in your organization’s policies and procedures.
6. Schedule and implement updated IT solutions: Ensure your implementation schedule provides time to perform any system upgrades, test releases and install updates. Determine when and how long you need duel coding systems.
7. Train coders on new code sets: Review coder experience. The new code set will require increased familiarity with medical procedures, anatomy and pharmacology.
8. Train physicians on new documentation requirements: Educate physicians on area that require increased clinical documentation.
9. Perform service line assessments and potential impact to cash flow: review coding that supports your key service lines and most commonly assigned and highly reimbursed DRG’s.
10. Use enterprise intelligence analytical tools and reporting to monitor compliance and financial performance: Check first-time submission claims success rate, reimbursement turnaround time, days in AR, source of claim edits, source of denials and staff compliance/productivity.
These 10 steps will help your organization get ready for the transition to the ICD-10 code sets.
1. Establish governance and responsibility: Identify a project manager and set up a multidisciplinary team and governance steering committee. Communicate the financial ramifications of not being ready to gain buy-in and funding from the executive team.
2. Launch your ICD-10 compliance initiative: Hold your kick-off meeting and communicate timelines and impacts of the change to all staff. Ensure coders, physicians and other billing staff understands the impact of reimbursement and days in accounts receivable for claims that are not properly coded or substantiated.
3. Conduct a readiness assessment: Assess the impact to policies and procedures, payor contracts, training needs, staff augmentation or outstanding and determined software vendor readiness.
4. Create an integrated project plan detailing essential components for success: Include a communications plan, department training and a software roadmap.
5. Identify clinical documentation required for coding: Reinforce the requirements in your organization’s policies and procedures.
6. Schedule and implement updated IT solutions: Ensure your implementation schedule provides time to perform any system upgrades, test releases and install updates. Determine when and how long you need duel coding systems.
7. Train coders on new code sets: Review coder experience. The new code set will require increased familiarity with medical procedures, anatomy and pharmacology.
8. Train physicians on new documentation requirements: Educate physicians on area that require increased clinical documentation.
9. Perform service line assessments and potential impact to cash flow: review coding that supports your key service lines and most commonly assigned and highly reimbursed DRG’s.
10. Use enterprise intelligence analytical tools and reporting to monitor compliance and financial performance: Check first-time submission claims success rate, reimbursement turnaround time, days in AR, source of claim edits, source of denials and staff compliance/productivity.
START NOW!!! While the date comply may seem far in the future, don’t underestimate the
amount and complexity of change that will be required.
Let SUNRISE SERVICES LLC help you get ready. Call us today 1-888-880-0384
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tips for Successful EHR Implementation
Tips for Successful EHR Implementation
By Chris Torregosa, Project Coordinator
With all the government stimulus money made available to hospitals and clinic these days, many groups are purchasing and implementing and EHR system. Some implementations go smoothly and achieve their goals while others they struggle or stall due to inexperience and frustration with the selected system. Some tend to fall short due to limited resources or IT issues. In certain instances many groups experience little or no success at all. These groups then begin to contemplate whether it is a problem with their staff learning the system, the workflow processes within the group, or simple the EHR system’s abilities to meet their requirements. Regardless of your group’s size, many implementation issues are common throughout. Like any new journey in life that requires a certain amount of knowledge, there is much to learn and many things that can go wrong without proper things direction. Here is a few tips to help ensure a successful EHR implementation.
1) There is no “I” in the world “Team”. Any football fan knows that any given play can’t be run on the field unless everyone is completing their assigned role. The quarterback can’t throw or handoff the ball unless his offensive line is providing the proper protection from the opposing defense. I can go on an on, but the point is that the same team concept can and should be applied to an EHR implementation. Navigating through an EHR implementation is not a solo task. Everyone from the receptionist to the biller, to the medical assistant, to the physician will play a role in the success of the implementation. Involvement from the stakeholders is essential and to identify any ways the EHR could fail.
Like any normal team, there needs to be leadership. In an implementation, a physician champion is to provide good input and communication, and to be an energetic supporter and positive motivator throughout the project. He or she is responsible to keep driving the project forward despite any road blocks that lie ahead.
Lastly, like any good team, practice makes perfect. It is incumbent of the staff to learn and practice. The more and more you practice with the system, the more familiar and comfortable you will be. This will ease any anxiety and in turn provide confidence within the group.
2) Setting realistic goals and expectations.
Implementing an EHR is by no means an easy task. A successful implementation involves a great deal of planning long before you go live. One of the first tasks during the process is to create a realistic implementation timeline that everyone is comfortable with. It is important to be flexible and open to modifying the schedule if necessary. Also, remember that you don’t have to go everything at once. A phased-in incremental approach is suggested so that users are not learning everything at once and become overwhelmed. Another important aspect of the implementation is staying focused throughout the project. Staying on schedule in the timeline is more about making the EHR implementation a priority.
3) Positively despite challenges.
Many challenges and frustrations will present themselves during an implementation. It will create uncertainty and doubts as to whether these challenges can be overcome.
It is important to stay positive and realize that there is no reason why these challenges can’t be overcome.
4) Consult with experts with EHR experience.
It is a tall order to successfully implement an EHR without prior experience. There arte many aspects of an implementation that can be overlooked that may result in failure. Assistance from someone with experience in implementing EHR systems can make a difference towards the outcome of the implementation.
By Chris Torregosa, Project Coordinator
With all the government stimulus money made available to hospitals and clinic these days, many groups are purchasing and implementing and EHR system. Some implementations go smoothly and achieve their goals while others they struggle or stall due to inexperience and frustration with the selected system. Some tend to fall short due to limited resources or IT issues. In certain instances many groups experience little or no success at all. These groups then begin to contemplate whether it is a problem with their staff learning the system, the workflow processes within the group, or simple the EHR system’s abilities to meet their requirements. Regardless of your group’s size, many implementation issues are common throughout. Like any new journey in life that requires a certain amount of knowledge, there is much to learn and many things that can go wrong without proper things direction. Here is a few tips to help ensure a successful EHR implementation.
1) There is no “I” in the world “Team”. Any football fan knows that any given play can’t be run on the field unless everyone is completing their assigned role. The quarterback can’t throw or handoff the ball unless his offensive line is providing the proper protection from the opposing defense. I can go on an on, but the point is that the same team concept can and should be applied to an EHR implementation. Navigating through an EHR implementation is not a solo task. Everyone from the receptionist to the biller, to the medical assistant, to the physician will play a role in the success of the implementation. Involvement from the stakeholders is essential and to identify any ways the EHR could fail.
Like any normal team, there needs to be leadership. In an implementation, a physician champion is to provide good input and communication, and to be an energetic supporter and positive motivator throughout the project. He or she is responsible to keep driving the project forward despite any road blocks that lie ahead.
Lastly, like any good team, practice makes perfect. It is incumbent of the staff to learn and practice. The more and more you practice with the system, the more familiar and comfortable you will be. This will ease any anxiety and in turn provide confidence within the group.
2) Setting realistic goals and expectations.
Implementing an EHR is by no means an easy task. A successful implementation involves a great deal of planning long before you go live. One of the first tasks during the process is to create a realistic implementation timeline that everyone is comfortable with. It is important to be flexible and open to modifying the schedule if necessary. Also, remember that you don’t have to go everything at once. A phased-in incremental approach is suggested so that users are not learning everything at once and become overwhelmed. Another important aspect of the implementation is staying focused throughout the project. Staying on schedule in the timeline is more about making the EHR implementation a priority.
3) Positively despite challenges.
Many challenges and frustrations will present themselves during an implementation. It will create uncertainty and doubts as to whether these challenges can be overcome.
It is important to stay positive and realize that there is no reason why these challenges can’t be overcome.
4) Consult with experts with EHR experience.
It is a tall order to successfully implement an EHR without prior experience. There arte many aspects of an implementation that can be overlooked that may result in failure. Assistance from someone with experience in implementing EHR systems can make a difference towards the outcome of the implementation.
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