ICD-10 update: CMS will not perform end-to-end tests of ICD-10-CM and PCS fee-for-service (FFS) claims with providers before the conversion deadline of Oct. 1, 2014.
Yes, you read that correctly. According to CMS, end-to-end testing was already performed when its 5010 data standard was implemented last year, and ICD-10-CM and PCS are code sets rather than mechanisms to manage the data. That means providers and payers are on their own for the most part to make sure ICD-10 codes will be reportable and payable.
While CMS is doing internal testing, it won’t be providing much support to providers. Not only does this present a challenge for providers—because they must ensure their systems can handle ICD-10-related claims—but it’s also one for payers, who must retool and test their systems in time for the transition. The biggest worry is guaranteeing the process works from provider to payer and back.
So where does this place your Neurosurgery medical coding and billing?
If you’re starting to tremble, you’re not alone. As indicated in a recent QualiTest Group Survey, nearly 75 percent of providers admitted they are unprepared for the change. Only half of the providers responded they had “completed an ICD-10 impact assessment including identifying top 100 DRG codes, top 200 procedure, and diagnosis codes,” while one in four said they had “completed the impact assessment but had not started planning the ICD-10 testing effort.”
It’s time to re-evaluate where your Neurosurgery medical practice coding is in your ICD-10 implementation timeline and what you’ll need to do to complete all phases of testing in time.
During the conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10, said to be the most significant overhaul of the medical coding system since computers were introduced, your practice requires a physician medical billing team with the Neurosurgery coding expertise and full cadre of support and resources necessary to:
- Organize the effort
- Analyze the impact
- Contact the vendors
- Budget for costs
- Implement software and systems upgrades
- Conduct internal testing
- Train staffs
- Conduct external testing of transactions
- Keep revenue flowing
- Maximize revenue stream
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So where do you get the support you need, now, when you need it more than ever?
Revenue assurance and ICD-10 expert revMD.com is ahead of the game. They’ve already begun the ICD-10 transition and training process and have an in-depth understanding of the unique nuances of neurosurgery coding including the need for uninterrupted patient care and revenue flow. It takes the special expertise of an independent partner in Neurosurgery medical revenue cycle management to take the weight off your shoulders and ensure your seamless coding transition so you can stay focused on your true passion… caring for patients.
revMD.com is the results-proven alternative for healthcare revenue cycle management, with a niche specialization in Neurosurgery medical coding and billing that generates unprecedented results and builds profitable medical practices. Not only is revMD.com the industry expert in physician coding, billing and collections, they are the professionals for seamless ICD-10 implementation. Leveraging a history of industry wide success spanning 26 years, revMD.com partners with medical practices throughout the U.S. to optimize revenue for hospital based and practice based physicians. For more information, visit www.revmd.com.