Tuesday, November 26, 2013

MLN Connects Videos on ICD-10

Are you ready to transition to ICD-10 on October 1, 2014? MLN Connects™ videos on the CMS YouTube Channel can help you prepare.

In the “ICD-10: Implementation for Physicians, Partial Code Freeze, and MS-DRG Conversion Project” video, Pat Brooks and Dr. Daniel Duvall from the Center for Medicare, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group discuss the transition to ICD-10 for medical diagnosis and inpatient procedure coding.

Video slideshow presentations from MLN Connects National Provider Calls:
  • August 22, 2013 – ICD-10 Basics: Keynote presentation by Sue Bowman from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
  • April 18, 2013 – Begin Transitioning to ICD-10 in 2013: CMS Subject matter experts review basic information on the transition to ICD-10 and discuss implementation planning and preparation strategies.
To receive notification of upcoming MLN Connects videos and calls and the latest Medicare program information on ICD-10, subscribe to the weekly MLN Connects™ Provider eNews. Visit the Medicare Fee-for-Service Provider Resources web page for a complete list of ICD-10 articles, products, and videos from the Medicare Learning Network®.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updatesand follow us on Twitter.

Medicare Learning Network: ICD-10 Testing

This Medicare Learning Network article is intended for Medicare providers and suppliers submitting claims to Medicare contractors (A/B Medicare Administrative Contractors (A/B MACs), Home Health and Hospice MACs (HHH MACs) and the Durable Medical Equipment MACs (DME MACs) for services to Medicare beneficiaries. The article is based on Change Request (CR) 8465, which announces plans for front-end ICD-10 testing between Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and their trading partners.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updatesand follow us on Twitter.

November At a Glance

Please find the link to the November edition of At a Glance below. This Department of Health Care Policy and Financing publication provides information on major initiatives including policy changes and program updates. Please feel free to share it with your colleagues.

At a Glance



Thursday, November 21, 2013

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

CMS is encouraging the health care industry to take advantage of the numerous ICD-10 resources available for checking progress and any actions that may be needed because the October 1, 2014 is quickly approaching.

Intro Guide to ICD-10
The CMS Intro Guide to ICD-10 explains the essential aspects of ICD-10 and offers steps and resources for preparing for October 1, 2014.

Online ICD-10 Guide
The Online ICD-10 Guide includes an overview of ICD-10 as well as information on how to transition to ICD-10 for small/medium practices, large practices, small hospitals, and payers.

Other ICD-10 Resources
Below are links to other helpful tools available on the CMS ICD-10 website:
ICD-10 Basics for Small and Rural Practices
ICD-10 Resources Flyer
Role of Clearinghouses in the ICD-10 Transition
The ICD-10 Transition: An Introduction
ICD-10 Basics for Medical Practices
Talking to Your Vendors About ICD-10: Tips for Medical Practices
ICD-10 FAQs
National ICD-10 Provider Education Teleconferences

CMS, in collaboration with Medscape, has produced videos and articles that offer tips and advice on ICD-10, along with an opportunity for physicians to earn continuing medical education credits and nurses to earn continuing education credits. CMS has recently released two new Medscape videos:
ICD-10: A Roadmap for Small Clinical Practices
ICD-10: Small Practice Guide to a Smooth Transition

Trade Association Resources
You can also reference resources from health care trade associations and medical societies. Many of these groups also host ICD-10 webinars and trainings that you can attend to get up to speed on ICD-10. Visit the ICD-10 Provider Resources page to find a list of some organizations that offer ICD-10 resources, and check with any organizations to which you belong for members-only resources.

Keep Up to Date on ICD-10
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updates and follow us on Twitter.

Call for Public Comment: Development of Measure of Hospital Visit Rates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation/Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) to develop risk-adjusted outcome measures for ambulatory care. As part of this project, CORE is developing a measure of unplanned hospital visits after outpatient colonoscopy.

CMS is inviting stakeholders and other interested members of the public to review and comment on the measure under development. This public comment period provides an opportunity for the widest array of interested parties to provide input on the colonoscopy measure and can prompt critical suggestions not previously considered by the measure contractor or its national technical expert panel (TEP). This email serves as the call for public comment on this measure.

The measure justification, specifications, and testing results are outlined in the Measure Information Form (MIF) and the Measure Justification Form (MJF). Additionally, you may review a summary of the TEP’s discussions on the measure. All documents are available in the ‘downloads’ section at the link below.

Please email your comments to GIambulatorymeasures@yale.edu. Comments on the measures must be received by close of business on December 6, 2013. If you are providing comments on behalf of an organization, include the organization’s name and your contact information. If you are commenting as an individual, submit identifying or contact information. Do not include personal health information in your comments. For more information and to access the above measure documents please visit https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/CallforPublicComment.html. Please note that at the end of the public comment period, all comments will be posted on the website.

Please contact Julia Montague (GIambulatorymeasures@yale.edu or 203-764-5700) should you have any questions.

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out

ICD-10: Less Than One Year Out
Matthew Albright, Director, Administrative Simplification Group 

Less than one year to implement ICD-10…so let’s talk.

No matter where you are in your transition, we hope you will take time this month to take some action on ICD-10. For its part, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working closely with medical and trade associations, listening to their challenges and working collaboratively with them on solutions.

If you are a provider, payer, or other health care entity, you should prepare for your ICD-10 transition now. A large part of that preparation includes having conversations and building collaborations with your trading partners and vendors, as well as with your peers and professional associations. By communicating and working together, we can move toward a successful transition to ICD-10 that will improve the detail of data captured through coding and facilitate patient care coordination across clinical settings—a goal that is shared by many other CMS eHealth initiatives.

As we enter the final year of the ICD-10 transition, CMS is developing additional resources and increasing outreach to providers, payers, and vendors to help ensure industry readiness by October 1, 2014.

Based on feedback from medical and trade associations and other stakeholders, we have developed a variety of ICD-10 resources for Providers, Payers, and Vendors. These resources cover topics ranging from a basic introduction to ICD-10 to Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education courses with a roadmap and guide for small practices. For a more in-depth explanation of how to guide a practice, hospital, or payer organization through the ICD-10 transition, CMS has created the Online ICD-10 Guide, which can be found on the Provider Resources page. The ICD-10 website also offers checklists and timelines, as well as FAQs, guides, and tips geared toward various audiences. CMS also attends conferences and hosts online events, to educate and encourage providers to transition to ICD-10.

Our health care partner associations also offer resources and trainings on ICD-10 designed specifically for their members. Check the Provider Resources page for a list of some partner associations that offer ICD-10 resources.

With less than one year to go before the October 1, 2014, transition date, now is the time to talk to others and make progress on ICD-10.

Want more information about ICD-10?
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare for the October 1, 2014, deadline. Sign up for CMS ICD-10 Industry Email Updates and follow us on Twitter.

Practice Guidelines for Telemedicine Webinar

The National Telehealth Webinar Series
Presented by the National Network of Telehealth Resource Centers
PRESENTS: “Practice Guidelines for Telemedicine”


Thursday, November 21, 2013
9:00 AM HST, 10:00 AM AKST, 11:00 AM PST, 12:00 PM MST, 1:00 PM CST, 2:00 PM EST

Presented by:
Elizabeth A. Krupinski, Ph.D.

Telemedicine practice guidelines for telemedicine form the basis for uniform, quality patient care and safety and area critical tool in promoting the deployment of telemedicine services. Standards help accelerate the adoption of telemedicine by payers, administrators and providers along with industry, government agencies, medical societies and other stakeholders. Dr. Krupinski, Chair of the American Telemedicine Association’s Standards and Guidelines Committee will discuss how ATA’s practice guidelines are helping to shape service delivery in today’s healthcare environment.

To join this webinar:
https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/sbtelehealth/

You can test your connection at: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.

For an overview of Adobe Connect, go to: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview.

The National Telehealth Webinar Series provides timely information to support and guide the development of your telehealth program by experienced telehealth professionals from the HRSA-designated Telehealth Resource Centers. These webinars are FREE to the public on the 3rd Thursday of each month.