Keep Your Therapy Practice Revenue Flowing with a Smooth ICD-10 Conversion

After a 1-year delay it appears to be full speed ahead with the ICD-10 conversion for medical providers nationwide. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services appear to be standing firm on the October 1, 2014 deadline for conversion. The transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is required by all health facilities covered by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) including occupational and physical therapy facilities.

The changes to the coding system are significant and getting it right is important to keeping revenue and reimbursement flowing post conversion.

How to keep Therapy Revenue Flowing during Conversion

ICD-10 Conversion checklist:

• Develop an implementation strategy complete with timeline and budget.
• Prepare a list of all documentation that you currently record ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Medical forms, clinical documentation, computer and billing systems, EHR, reimbursement claims, patient eligibility, payer authorization, and quality reporting are a good place to start.
• Convert paper and electronic forms to conform to the longer, alphanumeric ICD-10 codes which provide greater specificity for patient diagnosis.
• Collaborate with all relevant software vendors and payors such as billing services, clearinghouses, and therapy practice management systems to coordinate software compatibility testing.
• Analyze, document, and implement changes to your practice work flow and business processes.
• Set up staff training sessions. All staff that work with the current ICD-9 system must be trained on the ICD-10, such as occupational and physical therapists, front desk staff, and coding/billing staff.
• Make arrangements for supplemental staffing. Even with all the planning and testing there are likely to be business disruptions during conversion. In fact, many conversion experts advise to expect multiple disruptions. But while the conversion is taking place, patients still need to be attended to in a compassionate and customer-focused manner. During your conversion, you can ensure your patients receive the quality treatments they’ve come to expect through the temporary staffing of physical and occupational therapists.

American Traveler Allied staffs prestigious facilities nationwide including Outpatient Centers, Rehab Centers, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with experienced therapists in careers where quality patient care matters most. Our fully-online staffing program is ideal for staffing managers who have to plan therapy jobs for leave, expansion, census fluctuations, vacations, unit openings and filling difficult positions. American Traveler Allied has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval since 2005.

It’s never too early to arrange for temporary staffing in preparation for ICD-10 conversion and there is no charge to post a therapy job. In fact, the earlier you post, the more time you have to make the best selection for your facility. You can speak to a therapy recruitment specialist at 800-617-0608 for more information.