Review a study based on ICD-10-CM data from the National Vital Statistics System that shows a decline in U.S. maternal mortality rates from 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to a rate of 18.6 deaths in 2023.
One of the most frequent causes of hospital-acquired AKI is acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Improving documentation and coding practices for ATN involves not only recognizing the condition but also realizing the impact of coding ATN versus AKI, addressing common misconceptions in the HIM field, and fostering collaboration among CDI specialists, coding professionals, and providers. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register if you do not have a paid subscription.
Research of multiple countries on various continents and with varied complexity of healthcare environments reveals significant disparities in health outcomes and access to healthcare, and a staggering percentage of health outcomes are attributed to social determinants of health. Studying these countries shows differences in how socioeconomic issues are captured in documentation and coded using different patient classification systems, guidelines, and regulations.
ICD-10-CM official guidelines once stated that if there is conflicting documentation in the health record, the documentation of the attending physician supersedes that of any other provider. With that rule now gone, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP , helps clarify who should be determining diagnoses.
Review a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that has found adults who were hospitalized for a severe infection, such as respiratory infections or sepsis, were twice as likely to develop heart failure years later.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare administration by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making across various processes, with medical coding standing at the forefront of this transformation. Understanding AI-driven programs and the evolution of medical coding is essential for coders to thrive in this rapidly changing landscape. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
There were 371 new codes added to the October update of the 2025 ICD-10-PCS code set, but Shelley C. Safian, PhD, RHIA, CCS-P, COC, CPC-I , narrows her investigation into the new codes for one particular body system within the Medical and Surgical section: Lower Arteries.
Leveraging tools like clinical decision support (CDS) systems and physician queries can improve patient care and ensure documentation integrity. Yet medical coders need to ensure they use automated guidance without overstepping into clinical decision-making, maintaining the integrity of both documentation and coding while avoiding potential misinterpretations or misrepresentations of a patient’s condition.
Q: Consider a patient who received a hysterectomy two days ago and was later admitted for severe acute abdominal pain around the surgical wound. When the wound was reopened, it was discovered that an instrument had been left in her body. The instrument was removed, and the wound was resutured. How would coders report this situation with ICD-10-CM codes?
