With insight from Lynette Byerly, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS, coders can discover how CDI specialists bridge the clinical world to the realm of coding and reporting, especially when pediatric conditions are not always easily reportable.
A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus is only the starting point. Accurate ICD-10-CM coding requires careful attention to the provider's documentation, including whether the lupus is drug-induced, whether specific organ or system involvement is documented, and whether additional codes are required. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register if you do not have a paid subscription.
The ICD-10-PCS updates for fiscal year 2027 were released in June, and its new codes will be effective Oct. 1, 2026. A majority of the modifications involve new qualifier values for generic devices, but in some cases, new values were added to report brand-named devices. Terry Tropin, MSHAI, RHIA, CCS-P, focuses on the changes to the Medical and Surgical, Administration, Extracorporeal or Systemic Assistance and Performance, and Imaging sections.
A newly released Office of Inspector General report estimates that Medicare Advantage organizations may have received nearly $462 million in improper payments after submitting unsupported acute stroke diagnosis codes to CMS. The findings highlight ongoing concerns about documentation quality and diagnosis validation in risk adjustment reporting.
Beyond capturing primary and secondary diagnoses, what goes into a record can hugely impact how a patient is cared for both now and in the future, as well as the trajectory of a community’s health at large. See why it’s essential to go beyond surface-level knowledge and gain a true understanding of how and why SDOH data is important to track, especially for pediatric patients.
Drug overdose deaths in the United States declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decline marks the longest sustained reduction in overdose deaths in decades and brings the national total back to roughly the level seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The redesign of ICD-11 allows for continuous updates, interoperative compatibility with other electronic systems, improved coordination with related terminologies, and a reduced need for post-production clinical modifications. With these changes in mind, Nancy Reading, BS, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I, explores how this new framework supports significant enhancements to the classification of diagnoses that is built around stem and extension codes and its ability to cluster post-coordinated codes to describe a single condition.
Accurate coding for liver failure requires much more than selecting the correct ICD-10-CM code—it demands an understanding of liver function, disease progression, clinical indicators, and documentation nuances. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: When reviewing neurologic cases, what documentation clues, imaging findings, and treatments should coders and CDI specialists look for to identify potential cerebral edema or brain compression diagnoses?
