JULY 15, 2015

ICD-10 Updates & Training

77 DAYS UNTIL COMPLIANCE DEADLINE

Dear Colleague:

On October 1, 2015, the federally mandated transition to ICD-10 will go into effect. There is a lot of information being shared through the news media, professional groups and within Christiana Care Health System. We want to clarify the requirements associated with ICD-10 and make you aware of the training opportunities available to prepare you for this transition.

On July 6, 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a joint press release regarding leniency for some ICD-10 requirements. For one year, Medicare Part B will not deny claim payment for lack of diagnosis specificity, provided the code submitted is in the correct “family”. There are a few key points to clarify regarding this leniency:

• Both hospital and physician services will still be required to submit ICD-10 codes effective October 1, 2015;
• This leniency does not extend to Part A claims or hospital services.
• “Family” is not a pre-defined coding term and CMS has offered no clarification of how they will define it during their claims adjudication.

With so many questions surrounding this leniency, Christiana Care Health System continues its preparation efforts in full force. To that end, there are a variety of training opportunities designed to help you prepare.

Web-based training for Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants will be available September 1, 2015. These modules will provide a brief overview of ICD-10, provide some comparison between ICD-9 and ICD-10 as well as information on how documentation may also need to become more specific. There will also be application specific education for PowerChart, Centricity, GEMMS and MOSAIQ to help you understand what you may need to do differently as you generate your electronic documentation. Combined, this training can be completed in under an hour. Specialty specific reference material will also be available to you.

Additionally, web-based training for others in the organization (managers, administrators, billers, clerks, etc.) will also be provided. The length of this training will vary from 15 minutes to 6+ hours based on the role of the individual and the depth of knowledge they require. Key contact people in each operational area are working with the ICD-10 Program Team to determine the appropriate levels of education.

Additional resources as well as links to CMS and other organizations are available on the ICD-10 Site. You will be receiving additional communication through existing group meetings and targeted interactions. If you have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to either of us or Greta Ehrhart, the ICD-10 Program Manager, at 302-327-7628 or gehrhart@christianacare.org.

Thank you for all you do to move Christiana Care forward in the ever-changing landscape of healthcare.

Your Colleagues,