Coders are the backbone of an organization’s fiscal health. Timely coding leads to timely revenue collection. Glenn Krauss, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, PCS, FCS, C-CDIS, discusses why coders must be willing to look beyond their traditional roles to help ensure the continued financial viability and success of the organization.
The publication of the final rule officially announcing a change in the ICD-10 compliance date from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014, ends the uncertainty surrounding ICD-10 implementation that has plagued the healthcare industry. Sue Bowman, MJ, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA, details what healthcare organizations should be doing now to prepare.
Do you audit records before sending them to your Recovery Auditor? If not, your hospital may be one of many that simply doesn't have the resources to do so. Lori Brocato, Cathie Eikermann, MSN, RN, CNL, CHC, and Laura Legg, RHIT, CCS, reveal why hospitals should consider auditing records before sending them to the Recovery Auditor.
Physicians and facilities use the same codes to report evaluation and management (E/M) levels for emergency department (ED) services, but follow different rules. Caral Edelberg, CPC, CPMA, CAC, CCS-P, CHC, and Raemarie Jimenez, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CANPC, CRHC, explain how to correctly choose the most appropriate E/M code for ED services.
Neoplasm coding in ICD-10-CM is similar to the current ICD-9-CM coding. Most benign and all malignant neoplasm codes are found in chapter 2 of ICD-10-CM, just as in ICD-9-CM, according to Betty Hovey, BA, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPCD, CCS-P, PCS, CCP, CIC, RMC. She explains some of the ICD-10-CM guidelines for proper coding.
Some wounds and conditions don’t respond to conventional therapies and treatment modalities. In those cases, providers may consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO). Gloria Miller CPC, CPMA, and Todd Sommer, DO, DPM, CWS, review the conditions eligible for HBO therapy and correct code assignment for these services.
What do cubism and coding have in common? Both can be viewed as art forms. Joel Moorhead, MD, PhD, CPC, details the three steps that the coding artist performs in reassembling medical record elements into abstracted form.