TrustHCS Forms Three-Year Partnership with Allegiance Health for ICD-10 Training, Coder Back-Up and Clinical Documentation Analysis

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TrustHCS(SM), a HIM, compliance and revenue cycle consultancy firm for hospitals, clinics and physician practices, today announces a three-year contract with Allegiance Health of Jackson, Michigan, for their complete ICD-10 Educational Services and DNFB Assurance Program. The announcement was made by Torrey Barnhouse, Chief Executive Officer for TrustHCS. TrustHCS will serve as Allegiance Health's core ICD-10 training and coding services partner by providing:

• Coder assessments and training
• Ancillary staff training
• Back-up coding support and outsourcing services
• Clinical documentation assessments and physician training

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"Allegiance Health took the right approach to ICD-10 education by creating a multi-year plan and getting started now," mentions Barnhouse. "Based on assessment results and already identified areas of need, TrustHCS will begin training for our 22 coders in late 2011, continuing through the end of 2013," explains Terrie Vilminot, RHIA, Director, Health Information Management, Allegiance Health.

"It is such a relief to know our training needs will be taken care of by experts allowing us to focus on the many other components of ICD-10 implementation," mentions Vilminot. In addition, Vilminot's coders get a jump-start on their education with advanced anatomy and physiology courses, also through TrustHCS.

"We're employing a very prescriptive approach whereby TrustHCS will establish our training schedule, project manage the entire educational component, and customize our program," adds Vilminot. "When trying to design what we needed to do for ICD-10 training, it wasn't until we met with TrustHCS that our team realized this is exactly what we are looking for."

TrustHCS uses the AHIMA ICD-10 Fundamentals training program and was the first coding company in the nation to contract for this curriculum. Training covers four distinct levels, including basic courses for ancillary staff. "In addition to ICD-10 training, TrustHCS provides back-up coders to protect our revenue and ensure discharged-not-final-billed (DNFB) doesn't sky-rocket during training or ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion," concludes Vilminot. TrustHCS coders will also monitor coding compliance and analyze clinical documentation.

"We'll continuously monitor the documentation to ensure that it is sufficient to support both the current reimbursement (under ICD-9) and that required for ICD-10 in an effort to protect the integrity of future revenues for Allegiance Health," states Alice Zentner, RHIA, Director of Auditing and Education, TrustHCS. "We'll identify gaps in documentation and provide physician education accordingly," states Alice Zentner.  

TrustHCS is a health information management (HIM) services and revenue cycle consultancy firm for healthcare providers. TrustHCS effectively manages and protects the revenue integrity of health providers through affordable, on-demand remote coding, coding compliance, audit, cancer registry and educational services. With hospital, clinic and physician practice customers nationwide, TrustHCS ensures correct clinical coding, delivers effective ICD-10 programs, conducts audits and supports cancer registries.  For more information, visit www.trusthcs.com or call (417) 299-5069.

Allegiance Health is community-owned and locally-governed health system. The organization is entering their 10th decade of serving the people of south central Michigan with local, high-quality health care. Facilities are staffed with exceptional, caring professionals who are dedicated to the health and well-being of the communities they serve. Comprised of more than 40 different facilities, the system reaches residents of Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham, Calhoun and Washtenaw counties and beyond. For more information, visit www.allegiancehealth.org.

For more information call:
Beth Friedman, President
The Friedman Marketing Group
770.335.8570
[email protected]

SOURCE TrustHCS