Lott QA Group and HRS Partner in the Delivery of ICD-10 End-to-End Testing Services

NAPLES, Fla., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Lott QA Group, a professional healthcare IT quality assurance and consulting firm, and HRS, an expert clinical coding, audit services and ICD-10 implementation company, are proud to announce that they are working together in delivering the nation's first and only collaborative test data approach for ICD-10. The VISIBILEDI™ dual-coded medical record database and the INTEROPERABILEDI™ end-to-end testing solution expands the reach and reduces the cost of ICD-10 migration. The announcement was made jointly by Mark Lott, Principal, Lott QA Group, and Wendy Coplan-Gould, RHIA, President, HRS.

"Comprehensive testing of technology, people and clinical workflows prior to 2014 is essential for ICD-10 success," explains Mr. Lott, "However most solutions are based on a technical approach using crosswalks which are not accurate enough and why we chose to implement a clinical approach to testing. This alliance with HRS allows us to deliver test data with greater accuracy, improved comprehension and full end-to-end clinically based testing services."

VISIBILEDI™ is a dual-coded ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure test bed. It accurately depicts key clinical test cases and assesses functionality every covered entity needs in meeting the challenges of ICD-10. The Lott QA Group-HRS alliance incorporates a multifaceted testing approach with native dual coding, clinical documentation reviews, HIM testing, claims testing, end-to-end testing, certification and education services.

"Also unique to our solution is the use of native reviews for both coding and clinical documentation," mentions Coplan-Gould. Many other testing services use the General Equivalence Mapping (GEMs), which do not provide exact, one-to-one code matching," she adds. GEMs give hospitals an unclear picture of revenue impact under ICD-10. "Only by native dual coding cases in both ICD-9 and ICD-10 can hospitals get an exact prediction of 2014 case mix changes and revenue impact," she explains.

According to Donielle Bailey, RHIA, ICD-10 Project Coordinator for Rex Health, "a peer-reviewed, dual coded medical record is the core foundation on which to build ICD-10 testing success. This testing process couples native coding with end-to-end payer claims testing, making Rex Health the most prepared we can possibly be for the upcoming level 1 and level 2 testing for ICD-10." The new collaborative ICD-10 services include five components.

• Native Coding Services in ICD-9 and ICD-10                      
• Clinical Documentation Reviews at Code Level
• Shared ICD-10 Test Data Repository
• ICD-10 End-to-End Testing and Certification
• Coder, Billing and Physician Education

"Hospitals receive four services in one," mentions Lott. Analysis, reports and recommendations are provided at every step. The coding forensic insights are critical for determining the key test cases. "All ICD-10 stakeholders receive the information they need to know by diagnosis, procedure and specialty about which claims may be flawed, and can then focus their ICD-10 training accordingly," emphasizes Coplan-Gould.

About The Lott QA Group
The Lott QA Group is a professional healthcare IT quality assurance and consulting firm delivering advanced testing solutions in healthcare, HIPAA EDI and ICD-10 clinical testing life cycles. The Lott Method is the most widely used end-to-end testing process in the country and is currently in use at both the state and national levels. www.lottqagroup.com

About HRS
HRS, a health information management services and consulting company, has served the healthcare industry since 1979. The Baltimore-based business helps hospitals, ambulatory centers and group practices elevate their coding and reimbursement through strategic consulting, ICD-10 implementation, audit services and coding support. To learn more about HRS, please visit www.hrscoding.com or call 800-329-0365.

Media Contact:
Beth Friedman, BSHA, RHIT
President, The Friedman Marketing Group
[email protected]
770.335.8570

SOURCE HRS