Home Health & Hospice Week

Reader Question:

Don't Let ICD-10 Delay Your NOEs -- And Cut Into Your Reimbursement

Your switch to the new coding system is less than a month away.

Question: What should we do if the Notice of Election for a patient is dated before Oct. 1, but services are furnished Oct. 1 or later?

Answer: Look to a recent question-and-answer set from HHH Medicare Administration Contractor National Government Services for the answer. “A NOE that is filed for an admission that occurred prior to 10/1/2015 should be filed with the ICD-9 codes,” NGS instructs. “As long as the ICD-9 code[s] utilized are correct at the time the NOE is submitted, they should not be changed. If you attempt to change the diagnosis coding on the NOE, this may cause the NOE to become untimely.”

“For NOEs that are submitted for an admission that occurred on or after 10/1/2015 the ICD-10 codes should be used,” NGS continues. “However, for all services provided on/after 10/1/2015, ICD-10 coding must be submitted on the claim even if the NOE contained ICD-9 coding with a date prior to 10/1/2015.” 

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