CMS is moving forward with its plan to drastically cut payments for drugs acquired through the 340B drug discount program, according to the 2018 OPPS final rule, released in November.
It seems that the current buzz in the CDI and inpatient coding world is hierarchical condition categories (HCCs) and other health plan funding models. Everyone’s talking about HCCs for the inpatient, including AHIMA , ACDIS , and the AMA .
When asked to describe their job, many CDI professionals explain that they help physicians and coders paint an accurate picture of the care provided to patients. But how can CDI programs flip the canvas and dip their brushes to paint their own self-portrait?
Hiring top-notch inpatient coders: Is it good luck, great karma, or the power of prayer? Many coding managers say it takes all three to recruit high-quality, experienced medical record coders post-ICD-10.
In advance of ICD-10-CM/PCS, many institutions implemented computer-assisted coding (CAC) hoping to mitigate the anticipated productivity losses, but some research has confirmed my suspicions that there is an inverse relationship between coding productivity and accuracy.
While the 2018 OPPS final rule may be controversial for its payment cuts to drugs purchased through the 340B drug discount program, it contains several provisions supported by hospitals and other stakeholders.
A new private payer rate-based Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) system is estimated to drastically reduce Medicare Part B lab payments in 2018. Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA, details how this revision will impact providers in outpatient settings and payers tied to the Medicare CLFS.
November, a month associated with the pleasure of eating, is also Stomach Cancer Awareness Month. In this article, Yvette M DeVay, MHA, CPC, CPMA, CIC, CPC-I, describes signs and symptoms of stomach cancer, and outlines best practices when assigning diagnostic and procedural codes for this disease.
Review vascular anatomy and terminology in order to aid in accurately assign codes for interventional radiology procedures such as angioplasties, atherectomies, and lower extremity revascularizations. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
