AHCC and the ICD-10 Transition Workgroup are Closing the Coding Guidance Gap
Gaithersburg, MD (PRWEB) February 08, 2016 -- The Association of Home Care Coding & Compliance (AHCC) is excited to share this important news! AHCC and the Home Health and Hospice ICD-10 Transition Workgroup are working closely with the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Coding Clinic, CMS' designee for official ICD coding guidance and clarifications, to address concerns over the use of 'A' as the seventh character indicating initial encounter by home health agencies, and have crafted a solution.
The Coding Clinic will now accept industry queries from the board of the Association of Home Care Coding & Compliance (AHCC) and the board of its credentialing body, the Board of Medical Specialty Coding & Compliance (BMSC), on behalf of the industry. As the BMSC board is comprised of eight of the nation’s leading home health and hospice coding experts, the Coding Clinic has further agreed to accept with those queries a recommended response and the rationale for that response. The Coding Clinic Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) will consider the query as well as the recommended response before issuing guidance.
Members of the Transition Workgroup associations will submit coding questions to a special dedicated address for AHCC's Board review, follow up, and response with subsequent guidance issued by the Coding Clinic's EAB. All industry coding questions will funnel through one channel and disseminate resulting guidance one time for a more efficient and effective resolution.
This workgroup collaboration is just one of the many resources available for home health guidance. To learn more about AHCC, credentialing, and the benefits of membership, visit: ahcc.decisionhealth.com.
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About AHCC and BMSC
AHCC is the community for professionals dedicated to providing quality care in post-acute care settings and establishing, meeting, and maintaining standards of excellence in their area of expertise. AHCC’s credentialing arm, the Board of Medical Specialty Coding & Compliance (BMSC), offers professional credentials, including the only nationally accredited home health coding credential that tests coding skills exclusively, the Home Care Coding Specialist—Diagnosis (HCS-D), and the nationally accredited Home Care Clinical Specialist – OASIS (HCS-O).
BMSC has been credentialing home health coders since 2003. More than 63% of agencies require coders to have earned the HCS-D credential as a condition of employment. The credentials are overseen by an independent board of home health and OASIS experts nationally recognized as leading authorities. Each board member has more than 25 years of experience in home health and hospice, and all are in-demand home health and hospice coding educators.
Corinne Kuypers-Denlinger, DecisionHealth, http://www.decisionhealth.com, +1 301-287-2363, [email protected]
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