In November 2006, CMS published a final rule on the Conditions of Participation (CoP) for hospitals. Among the finalized provisions, there was a five-year window given during which CMS permitted orders (including verbal and telephone orders) to be signed by either the ordering physician or another physician responsible for the patient's care (e.g., a covering physician or practice partner). Those five years came to an end on January 27, 2012, meaning that, as of that date, hospitals needed to ensure that their orders were signed only by the ordering practitioner him- or herself. However, in October 2011, CMS released a proposed rule addressing the five-year sunset provision. Per the Federal Register:
We hear about physician engagement across and throughout all healthcare settings almost daily. This is not new, but when it comes to ICD-10-CM/PCS preparation, facilities and practices need engaged physicians.
From researching and implementing EHR systems to developing training and education plans for ICD-10 to overseeing your Recovery Audit Program review results, the daily tasks of an HIM director can quickly become overwhelming.
2012 is upon us, and for many healthcare organization leaders, the ticking clock of healthcare reform just got a lot louder. In a mere two years, the incentives to implement EHRs will end, and penalties for those that have failed to comply will begin.
Most HIM directors have October 2013 looming in their minds as the ICD-10 implementation deadline. But according to many experts, coders should be coding in both ICD-9 and ICD-10 well in advance of that date.
ICD-10 will bring many changes, particularly when it comes to fracture coding. But practice will help reinforce ICD-10 education on the subject, and Lolita M. Jones, RHIA, CCS, sole principal of Lolita M. Jones Consulting Services in Fort Washington, MD, provides a sample op report for just that purpose.
