The American Hospital Association (AHA) released Coding Clinic, Second Quarter 2019, just in time for summer vacation. If Coding Clinic didn’t make your summer must-read list, then be sure to review this article, which summarizes coding updates discussed in the quarterly newsletter and their impact on severity and DRG assignment
Behavioral health is a highly specialized area of coding that many coders and billers are unfamiliar with. There are hundreds of ICD-10-CM codes for mental disorders with unique characters to specify symptoms and complications.
Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition that affects nearly 1.7 million adults in America each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 270,000 Americans die each year from sepsis-related complications.
We have come a long way in our understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but still have a lot to learn about the condition’s prevalence and impact.
When you work in the CDI program of a medical facility, you are continually thinking of ways to elicit improved documentation from the medical staff. You also spend a fair amount of time lamenting why some physicians or service lines seem to ignore all educational efforts regarding the importance of explicit and accurate documentation. “If it is important to us,” you might say, “why is it not to them?”
CMS released the calendar year (CY) 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and OPPS proposed rules on July 29, introducing new CPT codes and extensive changes to documentation requirements for E/M office visits, and seeking commentary on how to overhaul MIPS and potentially undo its payment policy for drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
Q: Suppose a patient comes in for psychological testing evaluation. The provider interprets the test results and patient data, prepares a report, and begins treatment planning. If the interactive feedback session is held several days later, how would this be reported using CPT codes?
Several surgical techniques can be used to excise or slow the growth of a paratubal cyst. Lori-Lynne Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC , describes the etiology of paratubal cysts and CPT coding for their treatment.
Before starting an ambulatory or outpatient clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program, those tasked with the project must first create some universal definitions, so everyone is on the same page and speaking the same language.
