In today’s virtual environment, with its focus on flexible schedules, organizing the coding function requires consideration of time zones, team member skills, volume of work, and claim-processing schedules.
The fiscal year (FY) 2020 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, released shortly after the FY 2020 ICD-10-CM code release, provide instructions for healthcare professionals on how to appropriately report complex diagnoses. Coders should take time to review these changes that were implemented October 1.
As of October 1, approximately 1,080 cases of respiratory illnesses and 18 deaths brought on by vaping have been reported in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite continued research into these cases by the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the specific cause of these illnesses remains unknown.
Managers should not assume that they can review every guideline, every item in Coding Clinic, or every coding-related issue targeted by the OIG or Recovery Auditors. However, those issues that have been identified as the result of denials, external coding audits, or quality initiatives should surface to the top of the audit list for the coding manager.
Device-dependent edits require reporting a device code with procedures CMS has designated to be device intensive, and they are meant to ensure that device costs are accounted for in Medicare rates for device-intensive procedures.
As Medicare Advantage makes strides to becoming the new norm, organizations need to establish new processes, educate staff, and advocate for patients. Learn how your organization can keep pace with change before it’s too late to catch up.
While the calendar year 2020 OPPS proposed rule is shorter than in prior years (819 pages for the display version), the proposed policies therein pack a punch and may be thought of as a new day dawning for the future of hospital services.
