News from Simione Healthcare Consultants December 2011

TECHNOLOGY "TIP"

ICD-10 Codes Require Major Organizational Changes

By Suzanne Sblendorio

BSN, MA, Director, Simione Healthcare Consultants

The January 16, 2009 HHS regulation requiring the replacement of the ICD-9 code set with ICD-10 takes effect on October 1, 2013. All encounters and discharges on or after this date must use ICD-10 codes. While many of the prior HIPAA related changes have been essentially software changes within the control of the software vendors, it is a different story with ICD 10 changes. Moving from 14, 000 codes in ICD-9 to 68,000 codes in ICD-10 is a major change. The increased number of codes and increased code specificity will require significant planning, training, and system and process changes. Look for more on how you can prepare in future issues.

For more information about our Technology Solutions, click here or contact Suzanne Sblendorio at ssblendorio@simione.com or 800-949-0388.

HOSPICE COMPLIANCE "TIP"

By Karen Bommelje

Senior Manager, Simione Healthcare Consultants

CMS recently published a Q & A on Sept. 16 related to discharge planning for patients who are determined to be no longer terminally ill based on Medicare's definition.

Q. We have a hospice patient who is no longer considered terminally ill. Can the patient remain on the hospice benefit while we complete the discharge planning process?

SALES & MARKETING "TIP"

Make it About Them

By Mike Ferris

Principal, Simione Healthcare Consultants

If you have ever attended a training or speech I have given, you have undoubtably heard me say, "It's About Them, Not About Us." You should make sure that this is first and foremost as you are developing your strategic plan and your growth plan for 2012. Make it about them! So, what do I mean by that?

FINANCIAL MONITOR "TIP"

Billing Benchmarks Your Organization Should be Tracking

By Rob Simione

Vice President, Simione Financial Monitor

It's very important as an organization to continually track your billing and collection performance against industry benchmarks. There are two critical components to your billing processes.

Don't forget to sign up for the Free Webinar on the Simione Financial Monitor:

Join us for a FREE Webinar on January 10

Title: Simione Financial Monitor presents Financial Benchmarking for Home Health & Hospice

Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/265114134

Please join Simione Financial Monitor for a free webinar about financial benchmarking in the Home Health and Hospice industries. This webinar will cover best practices regarding financial metrics, performance indicators and comparative benchmarks. The presentation will also provide a brief overview of The Simione Financial Monitor. The Simione Financial Monitor is a set of quarterly reports evaluating an agency's performance against National, State and Profit Status benchmarks. With the Simione Financial Monitor agencies will be able to:

Understand how their gross margin, by payer, compares to their peers.
Know if their cash collections are where they should be.
Identify how much money should be spent on marketing campaigns.
Discern if they have sufficient working capital to sustain reimbursement changes.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees

Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Questions? Call Rob Simione, Vice President of Simione Financial Monitor
at 800.949.0388 or email him at robsimione@simione.com