PIVOT Points

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Prepare now to prevent ICD-10 productivity losses after Oct. 1.

Start dual coding charts now and track the extra time it takes to assign ICD-10 codes to help determine what additional resources you’ll need to lessen the impact on your productivity.

Maurice Frear, HCS-D, currently dual codes two charts per week, but plans to increase that number as the implementation date draws closer, says the coder for Bon Secours Home Health and Hospice Services in Virginia Beach, Va.

Remember that it’s going to take 70% longer to code a claim in ICD-10 in the first year, according to CMS data based on Canada’s transition to ICD-10.

And while 61% of the coders think that they’ll ultimately return to their normal productivity levels after an initial drop, data suggests this may be wishful thinking.

Home health agencies can expect a 54% decline in coding productivity in the first year post ICD-10 implementation, and, data indicates that the heightened complexity of ICD-10 will mean permanently lower productivity — likely 20% less than it is now, according to CMS.

That means if most coders are currently able to complete an average of six to 10 records daily, which is the range that most respondents to Diagnosis Coding Pro’s 2015 Home Health Coders’ Productivity Survey reported, they can expect to complete only four to eight records in an ICD-10 environment, even after full productivity following implementation is reached.

Investing in training and education (31%) and working longer hours or overtime (19%) are the two strategies most often reported by home health coders as the way they’re planning to stem productivity losses in ICD-10, according to survey results. For more results see chart.

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