Why training front-line staff in ICD-10 is important for your practice

Ready or not, the deadline for ICD-10, 1st October is approaching fast. You wouldn’t even realize how fast time will fly in these few days. Its implementation will have an over arching impact on the entire medical community, whether you’re a provider, a biller or a practice manager the question everybody would ask is What do I need to do for ICD-10 ?

With massive emphasis on improving physician documentation and facilitating the coders in embracing all these new codes, one often forgets the training which is needed by the front line staff, who are the moment of truth for any practice. Post ICD-10, their job would be much more than checking IDS and collecting co-pays.

Now with the implementation of ICD-10, the entire system would undergo various upgrades and changes. Policies would have to be revised complying with HIPAA. Changes would occur in workflows, forms etc and these changes would have an impact on the patient encounter.

Hence the front line staff should be trained enough to address the queries of patients. Following are some tips on how to go about it:

Taking In-depth medical history

Healthcare delivery process starts from the front desk employees. Post ICD-10, given its extreme specificity, the responsibility of front desk employees will increase by a huge amount. It would become highly important for them to improve their intake process.

With the absence of an in-depth patient medical history, the whole process of health care delivery will take a toll. It would create a ripple effect for the entire practice. Practices will not be able to accurately code the encounter using ICD-10 specificity which could lead to claims being denied. Not only will it affect their productivity but also distort their revenue management cycles.

These potential problems can be subsided by training the front line staff in gathering the information as specifically as possible from the patient during their encounter. They need to be vigilant and persuasive enough to ask the right questions and get the right cues.

For e.g. they need to know the medical background history of the patient, how and precisely when a particular injury was caused, various symptoms and signs of a particular disease, involvement of third parties etc. These are critical pieces of information which needs to be asked and documented correctly.  If these details are taken care of, you are through the first stage of ICD-10 transition.

Stay Updated on ICD-10 changes

ICD-10 transition will entail various changes involving HIPAA compliance such as new forms for the patients to sign, patient privacy issues etc. It will further act as a catalyst to meaningful use with various practices shifting to EHR’s and e-superbills. These would ultimately affect the patient-provider relationship. 

Verification of a patient’s insurance information is the task of the front desk. Hence it’s crucial that they know what changes a patient’s insurance plans and co-pays have undergone given the Affordable care act.

Patients would have a plethora of questions to be asked related to these changes, worse there will be many first time insurance users who would require additional help in coping with these changes. The front desk staff needs to be empowered enough to answer all their questions and redress their queries.

Keep calm and Handle complaints

It’s no news that in the initial months of implementation, the percentage of claim denials due to errors in coding will increase, so much so that it can result in huge losses for practices that aren’t fully prepared. Here again the patients would require an explanation to why it has happened. 

Proper training in communication skills and ICD-10 awareness will ensure a seamless transition for your entire practice. The front line staff should communicate the required information to the patients in a welcoming manner. They need to be trained to remain calm and deal the complaints of disgruntled patients. It’s crucial that they come up to their expectations and redress all their billing or insurance related queries in a well-timed manner. 

No training ever goes to waste, it’s an ongoing process. One learns with patience and perseverance. Adequate training is highly imperative in order to uphold you front desk staff’s productivity and efficiency. Free physician training programs can further aid in understanding ICD-10 conventions leading to a smooth transition.