ICD-10 Planning and Implementation

ICD-10 RESOURCES TO HELP WITH THE TRANSITION   

CMS Has Created “Road to 10” to Help You Jump Start the Transition to ICD-10

“Road to 10” is a no-cost tool that will help you to have a smoother transition to ICD-10. You are able to get an overview of ICD-10 by viewing helpful tools such as the Basics of ICD-10. There is also helpful information for you to learn about the differences of ICD-10 and ICD-9. The transition may seem daunting at times but, create a custom action plan, by filling out a quick assessment, and CMS will show you a custom timeline of your implementation process. This will give you a clear outline of what you should be working on and when you should be getting it done. Your action plan outline reflects the implementation date of October 1, 2015.  

Fill Out Some Simple Questions About Your Community Health Center

You Will Receive an Action Plan Specifically Catered to Your Health Center

 

 

 

Once you have created your action plan you can:

• Review common ICD-10 diagnosis codes associated with your specialty
• Learn about specifying anatomical location and laterality required by ICD-10 
• View clinical scenarios 
• Learn key action steps for you to follow to help get your health center started in updating specific work flow activities 
• Learn how to test your systems and processes

There are webcasts and webinars available for free:

• Specialty Documentation Webcasts
• Road to 10 Series
• Medicaid ICD-10 "Road to 10" Implementation Guidance Webinar - January 15th 12:00PM & January 15th 5:00PM

More Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Quick References
• OACHC's IDC-10 Information Page
• Ohio's Medicaid ICD-10 Page
• CMS Fact Sheet

Have you been vaccinated yet?

 

HEALTHY HOLIDAYS 

Taking the Proper Precautions this Holiday Season 

 

Getting Vaccinated is Still the Best Safeguard Against Influenza

 

The 2014-2015 flu season may be severe, according to information released by CDC, with the possibility of more hospitalizations and deaths. Although, the current influenza vaccine appears to be less effective against the dominant A (H3N2) influenza strain this year, it still remains the best way to protect yourself against getting the flu.
 
"It's still important to get vaccinated," said Dr. DiOrio, medical director of ODH. "The flu vaccine has been found to provide some protection against drifted viruses. It also offers protection against circulating influenza strains for which the vaccine remains well-matched, such as Influenza A (H1N1) and B viruses"(ThePennNews.com).

As long as flu viruses are spreading, it’s not too late to get a vaccine to protect yourself.  The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. The flu vaccine is available as a shot and as a nasal spray. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about which vaccine is best for you. 

 

Health Center Staff, Remember to...

 

It is important for health center staff and all patients to get the flu vaccine.  Flu symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases. Symptoms can show as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed. OACHC's Dr. Wymyslo would like to reinforce the importance of "advising patients and providers to remember to treat the flu with antivirals within 48 hours of onset of symptoms to achieve their maximum benefit in decreasing severity of symptoms and duration of illness."   

For the best likelihood of staying flu-free this holiday season, get your flu shot and take preventative measures to lessen the chance of spreading germs.

 

Influenza Resources

 

• More information about influenza and flu activity in Ohio is available at www.flu.ohio.gov. 
• Here are some tips on Reducing Healthcare Workers' Exposures to Seasonal Flu Virus
• Review these good health habits that will help you learn about steps you can take to protect yourself and others from the flu and stop the spread of germs. 
• You can also view Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings here.
• Take the CDC Flu Vaccination Pledge, if you have or are planning to protect yourself, and others around you, from influenza. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

FQHC Medicare PPS

MEDICARE PPS 

What You Need to Know About the New FQHC PPS

 

The FQHC PPS Transition

On May 2, 2014, The CMS finalized a new Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for FQHCs, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Per requirements set forth, health centers began to transition to the new Medicare PPS rate on October 1, 2014. To view your FQHC's implementation date, click here.

 

Have you considered these factors for the implementation process?

• If you implement the new Medicare PPS rule correctly, your health center stands to increase its revenue substantially. 
• If you implement incorrectly, you risk not only leaving money on the table, but also scrutiny from CMS for setting your rates too high (or too low). 
• This rule has significant impact on your grant – particularly as to how your sliding fee scale is applied to patients. All Health Centers must understand and prepare for these changes.

 

There is One National PPS Rate for All FQHCs

Medicare will pay FQHCs a single encounter-based rate per beneficiary per day. The rate is $158.85, through December 31, 2015, with some adjustments. Each FQHC’s rate is adjusted based on the location of where the services are furnished. FQHCs will be paid based on the lesser of the adjusted PPS rate or their charges. The rate will be updated annually to reflect inflation. The new rate will begin on January 1 of each year, starting January 1, 2016. (Information was retrieved from CMS.gov)

 

Trainings in January Regarding Medicare PPS:

• January 14 - Medicare FQHC PPS Training presented by Blue & Co. in Westerville, OH 
• January 14 - Medicare PPS ONE-DAY Implementation Training presented by NACHC and BKD, LLP in Atlanta, GA 
• January 15 - Medicare PPS ONE-DAY Implementation Training presented by NACHC and BKD, LLP in Atlanta, GA 

 

More Information

You can get useful information from CMS on the new FQHC PPS HERE and HERE.

For FAQs on the matter click here

View the "New Medicare PPS for FQHCs" Presentation by the Medicare Learning Network HERE

To view important factors to consider about the implementation process and a  recording of NACHC's Medicare PPS Webinar click here.
 

Infant Mortality & the Governor's Plan

INFANT MORTALITY

The Governor announces plan to combat it 

“Ohio has one of the worst infant-mortality rates in the nation, and that is simply unacceptable,” Governor John Kasich said while speaking at the 2014 Ohio Infant Mortality Summit in Columbus. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Kasich announced his administration will build on local efforts and use state and federal funding to help lower Ohio's infant mortality rate.  New efforts announced by the Governor to better combat this crisis include:

• Identifying Areas With the Greatest Need: The Ohio Department of Health has identified “hot spot” communities where infant mortality is the highest in the state;
• Bringing New Care Strategies to At-Risk Moms: The Ohio Medicaid program will direct the managed health care organizations serving Medicaid recipients to automatically connect pregnant women and babies in the hot spot communities with high-risk care management benefits; and
• Connecting At-Risk Moms with Care: The Office of Health Transformation will work to identify and fund research based best-practice methods of group care for expecting mothers in both targeted urban and rural communities.

OACHC was proud to be a sponsor of the 2014 Ohio Infant Mortality Summit, where attendees were able to learn about Ohio’s infant mortality problem, why community involvement is important and ways to help reduce infant mortality.  If you were unable to attend the summit or would like the resources, the presentations and handouts from the summit will be available here. 

“We commend Governor Kasich for his commitment on this critical issue and his efforts to address it now. The need for change is tremendous and the timing must be immediate.” said Chief Operating Officer Julie DiRossi-King. “Governor Kasich recognizes the urgency and has the foresight to wait no longer. We look forward to continuing to work with the Kasich Administration and the Ohio General Assembly to implement initiatives now that will impact and reduce our infant mortality rate in the very near future. Together we will reach more first Ohio birthdays!”. The Board of Directors of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers recently and unanimously voted to designate prenatal infant mortality a priority for the Association in the coming year. Read OACHC's press release on the matter here.

To view toolkits and useful information to help lower Ohio's infant mortality rate visit OACHC's Infant Mortality webpage.

OACHC's Help Page

OACHC NOW HAS A WEBSITE HELP PAGE

How to videos and PDFs for our members

In conjunction with our new website, OACHC has put together some helpful "How to" videos.  These online videos provide step-by-step instructions on how to log in your online OACHC profile and well as use the different features.  We will be continuing to add to our "help" page as we go along.  Visit www.ohiochc.org/helppage.

Our first video is to help anyone understand how to log in to their profile, and what to do if they forgot their password.  It portrays what their profile will look like and where update profile information, change their password and find their groups.  

The second video explains how to access the group feature and what you can do once you are in the group.  Groups can be a very useful tool for members to network, brainstorm ideas, share and learn valuable information for your Community Health Centers. 

On our help page there is also a PDF option, if you would rather read "How to" tips.  This option is available to download and/or print. 

OACHC plans on creating more "How to" video to help our members as much as we can.  If you are having trouble with something that is not covered on our website "How to"s or you have an idea for a helpful video, contact Samantha Porter.