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?
Because discrepancies among payers’ diagnostic standards can lead to documentation issues, coding errors, and denials, revenue integrity professionals are encouraged to increase collaboration between CDI, coding, and clinical staff when addressing varying criteria. Discover further how coders play a key role in analyzing criteria, identifying denial trends, and ensuring providers receive proper training and education.
Review a study published in a recent edition of Health Affairs that discovered which type of hospitals are not evaluating their AI tools internally for accuracy or potential biases and explored whether models developed in-house or by external developers were supported more by local evaluations.
The spectrum of myocardial injury, ischemia, and infarction represents a critical area in cardiology, which Alba Kuqi, MD, MSHIM, RHIA, CCM, CRCR, CICA, CSMC, CSAF, CCS, CCDS, CDIP , explores in detail, integrating information from current clinical guidelines, diagnostic standards, and management strategies.
Given the variety and complexity of surgical complications, coders should understand the nuances of differentiating between surgical complications and pre-existing conditions, stay up to date with coding guidelines, and familiarize themselves with ICD-10-CM chapters where complications codes are located. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: Patient is a young but quite debilitated and oxygen-dependent female with a complex history and frequent hospitalizations. She currently presents with exacerbation of bronchiectasis secondary to Swyer-James unilateral emphysema, chronic postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following bronchiolitis obliterans in childhood, and superimposed bacterial pneumonia. Her condition is complicated by morbid obesity with a BMI of 42 and severe obesity hypoventilation syndrome with obstructive sleep apnea. How would this diagnostic note be reported in ICD-10-CM?
