High-risk general surgery patients have greater survival rates at major teaching hospitals than at non-teaching hospitals, according to a study published by the Annals of Surgery.
Since the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS, thousands of additional codes have been added to clarify aspects of certain conditions or procedures. This, on top of yearly code updates, has had a large impact on coder productivity. In this article, let’s take a look at some recent productivity statistics gathered by First Class Solutions Inc. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Rachelle Musselman, BSN, RN; Jorde Spitler, BSN, RN; Daniel Lantis, BSN, RN; Joseph E. Ross, MD; and Thomas A. Taghon, DO, MHA, review their experience with implementing pediatric heart failure criteria at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
Q: Physicians at our hospital use the terms bacteremia and sepsis interchangeably despite each having distinct ICD-10-CM codes. How should we address this issue, and what should we do when we need to query?
Brett Hoggard, MD, writes that the healthcare industry continues to transition toward a value-based, pay-for-performance system, but there’s still confusion surrounding different quality and value programs.
Q: When a diabetic patient has arteriosclerotic peripheral artery disease (PAD), should an additional ICD-10-CM code be assigned from subcategory I70.2- (atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities) to describe the affected vessel and laterality?
Coders need a solid understanding of complex anatomical terminology and ICD-10-CM coding guidelines to select the most specific codes for trauma and injuries. This article breaks down inpatient diagnosis coding for superficial injuries, fractures, and burns. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
CMS recently published an update to the fiscal year (FY) 2020 IPPS final rule. This update corrects certain technical and typographical errors and contains corrections to the final payment factors. In this article, Judith Kares, JD , gives a summary of these key updates and related guidance.
Julian Everett, RN, BSN, CDIP, writes that early recognition of sepsis in pediatric patients, along with accurate reporting, is vital to the future of healthcare. With the goal of improving patient outcomes through documentation, Everett outlines her experience in providing documentation education to physicians.
