The deadline for the ICD-10 conversion is approaching. If your home care agency isn't ready, you'll lose revenue and possibly even go out of business.

1. Prepare
or
Perish:
The
ICD-­‐10
Conversion
Deadline
is
Almost
Here
The
deadline
for
transitioning
from
ICD-­‐
9
to
ICD-­‐10
coding
is
coming
quickly.
On
October
1,
2015,
home
care
agencies
will
be
required
to
begin
using
the
new
codes,
which
are
going
from
5
to
7
digits.
Although
that
may
seem
too
far
away
to
worry
about
now,
CMS
estimates
that
it
takes
nine
months
to
properly
train
a
home
health
staff
for
ICD-­‐10.
So
the
clock
is
ticking
on
getting
ready
for
the
ICD-­‐10
conversion.
If
you
don’t
begin
preparing
by
the
end
of
this
year,
you
risk
putting
your
agency
at
risk.
You
will
no
longer
receive
reimbursements,
which
could
lead
to
your
agency
going
out
of
business.
What
the
ICD-­‐10
Conversion
Means
For
Your
Home
Care
Agency
First
of
all,
there
will
be
no
grace
period
once
the
new
ICD-­‐10
coding
system
goes
live,
so
you
need
to
get
your
home
care
agency
ready
by
the
deadline.
Claims
that
are
submitted
without
ICD-­‐10
codes
will
be
instantly
rejected
and
you’ll
be
required
to
resubmit
them
with
the
proper
codes.
This
will
result
in
reimbursement
delays,
reduced
cash
flow,
non-­‐compliance
penalties,
and
more
problems
that
put
your
agency’s
financial
future
in
jeopardy.
Are
You
Planning
Properly?
To
prepare
for
the
ICD-­‐10
conversion,
your
home
care
agency
needs
to:
• Identify
what
systems
you’re
using
that
will
migrate
over
to
ICD-­‐10
coding,
such
as
electronic
health
records,
clinical
documents,
contracts,
and
vendors
• Contact
your
vendors
to
see
when
they
will
upgrade
their
systems
to
ICD-­‐10
and
see
if
there
is
an
upgrade
fee
• Update
contracts
and
reimbursement
schedules
to
reflect
the
conversion
to
ICD-­‐10
coding
• Review
how
the
transition
will
impact
your
billing
process
• Identify
the
ICD-­‐10
codes
you’ll
need
for
the
services
your
agency
provides
most
often

2. • Train,
train,
and
train
some
more!
Train
office
staff,
employees
in
the
field,
and
management
on
the
new
systems
• Train
the
field
staff
specifically
to
document
to
the
new
codes.
Failure
to
have
documentation
that
matches
the
codes
will
cause
rejection
of
the
note
and
a
drop
in
the
reimbursement
Don’t
Delay
You
face
significant
revenue
losses—or
worse,
going
bankrupt—if
your
entire
agency
is
not
prepared
for
the
ICD-­‐10
conversion.
You
need
to
incorporate
training
into
your
agency’s
budget
today
so
you
can
be
ready
for
the
upcoming
transition.
Improve
your
agency’s
clinical
documentation
and
revenue
cycle,
and
implement
metric-­‐
tracking
systems
to
help
streamline
your
operations.
This
will
not
only
help
you
improve
cash
flow,
but
also
ensure
a
seamless
conversion
to
ICD-­‐10.
Practice,
Practice,
Practice
If
you’ve
already
trained
your
staff
on
the
new
ICD-­‐10
codes,
you’re
in
great
shape.
Now
you
need
to
provide
them
with
plenty
of
practice
time
to
ensure
the
training
doesn’t
go
to
waste
before
the
conversion.
You
don’t
want
to
miss
a
beat
when
the
transition
happens
so
you
can
avoid
missing
reimbursements.
What
to
Do
Next
If
you
haven’t
started
preparing
for
the
ICD-­‐10
conversion
yet,
now
is
the
time
to
get
started.
Although
the
situation
is
urgent,
you
don’t
have
to
panic.
Your
agency
can
hire
a
home
care
consultant
to
train
your
coders,
or
you
can
simplify
the
process
by
outsourcing
your
coding.
Outsourcing
allows
you
to:
• Minimize
costs
and
maximize
productivity
• Improve
cash
flow
• Increase
revenue
• Avoid
compliance
risks
Kenyon
HomeCare
Consulting
can
help
ensure
a
smooth
conversion
to
ICD-­‐10.
As
a
home
care
consultancy
with
certified
coders,
Kenyon
will
manage
the
entire
coding
process
for
you.
Schedule
a
consultation
today
at
www.KenyonHCC.com
to
put
your
home
care
agency
on
the
right
track
for
the
transition.