Many physicians remain reluctant to admit when a complication occurs as the direct result of the medical care they provide. Trey La Charité, MD , reviews hypothetical situations to help illustrate how coders and clinical documentation improvement specialists can handle complications.
Physicians use a lot of shortcuts and abbreviations. Some of them may even make it to the official abbreviation list at a hospital. Some don't. Even if they do, some physicians will use the wrong term.
With the increased specificity required for ICD-10-CM coding, coders need a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. Review the anatomy of the thoracic cage and coding concepts in ICD-10-CM related to coding diagnoses of this region.
A large number of the code additions in ICD-10-CM appear in the musculoskeletal section. While fractures account for some of those changes, coders also need to understand how coding for other orthopedic conditions will change in ICD-10-CM. Kristi Stanton, RHIT, CCS, CPC, CIRCC, and Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, discuss ICD-10-CM coding for sprains, strains, and dislocations.
In its latest survey of the healthcare industry's ICD-10 readiness, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) found that this year's delay negatively impacted provider progress, with two-thirds reporting slowing down or putting implementation initiatives on hold as a result.
ICD-10 implementation and coding present plenty of challenges, especially when it comes to ICD-10-PCS. Sue Bowman, RHIA, CCS, and Donna Smith, RHIA, clear up some misconceptions about ICD-10 implementation and use.
CMS recently updated the Medicare Claims Processing Manual , with changes announced in Transmittal 3020 , to include ICD-10-specific language ahead of next year's implementation.
