Inpatient coding professionals are used to DRG systems where all of the diagnoses and procedures map to a single DRG. So they may not look for additional procedures and services to report outside of that DRG.
Beginning January 1, 2015, physicians will no longer need to provide certification for an inpatient admission unless the admission is expected to last for at least 20 days or the case is an outlier.
Many coders rely on the advice in the American Hospital Association (AHA)'s Coding Clinic to resolve sticky situations with ICD-9-CM coding. However, the AHA will not be transitioning its current guidance to ICD-10-CM. Instead, in January, it began focusing solely on ICD-10-CM questions to help clear up confusion prior to implementation.
ICD-10-PCS will be a big change for inpatient coders. The best way to learn the new coding system is to practice, practice, practice. See how well you know ICD-10-PCS by assigning all applicable ICD-10-PCS codes for the following case.
A diabetic patient is admitted with gangrene. The physician does not specifically link the diabetes and the gangrene, but also does not document any other potential cause of the gangrene. Should you code both conditions?
