Wednesday 30 January 2013

Accurate ICD-9 Coding and a Successful Code of Conduct Are Vital In Home Health


For an agency in order to remain compliant and maintain the revenues, it is essential to have accurate coding with the highest level of specificity. Creating and maintaining a strong code of conduct sends a potent statement to employees, customers, as well as business associates.

A strong code that is aligned to corporate values and ethics sends a message of comfort to those committed to those principles. Fraud in healthcare is being exposed at an increasing rate. RAC, MAC, and Z-PIC audits as well as HEAT raids have uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars of false claims filed. Due to a growing mistrust of provider ethics, it becomes essential to take a strong stand. You can get a lot of home health ICD-9 medical coding training online with various home health conferences.

Various diagnoses could be slapped with denial due to probe edits and recertification. In case the file is pulled and it lacks clear documentation that it is with substantial and challenging effort for the beneficiary for leaving home, the episode or specific visits might be then denied for lack of homebound status.

Claims can also be denied in case skilled nursing care is not intermittent. In order to meet the requirement for “intermittent” skilled nursing care, a beneficiary is ought to have a medically predictable returning need for skilled nursing services.

Your agency corporate compliance audits must monitor clinical documentation on a frequent basis. Furthermore, having a sturdy Corporate Compliance Program with a strong Code of Conduct can go far to lessen risk. Audits of work products and processes can alert leaders to the plan’s efficiency. You must ensure that the documentation must be reviewed regularly.

Adequate documentation begins with the accurate diagnosis and being alert for edits. In addition to agency PI projects, you must consider professional coding teams to reduce risk. Third party coding and auditing can provide the buffer required to reduce risk and increase compliance

Get more medical coding training online through a wide range of home health conferences at AudioEducator