Get ready for MS-DRGs: This summer is the time for MS-DRG staff training

October will be here before we know it, and with it, the likely arrival of MS-DRGs. But for now, the dog days of summer are nearly upon us. It’s a time when the temperatures make many of us yearn for an air conditioned place to chill out. So, take advantage of your office’s air conditioning and start setting up some MS-DRG staff training!

Successful MS-DRG implementation requires that key hospital staff understand the fundamentals of MS-DRGs. Specific topics to consider in this initial training include:

• Fundamentals of severity-adjustment
• Why Medicare is moving to MS-DRGs
• An overview of the MS-DRGs proposed by Medicare
• How severity measurement is directly governed by documentation and coding
• A sense of urgency – emphasize the impact on productivity, reimbursement, accounts receivable and associated compliance risks

Beat the heat and get a step ahead of FY 2008.