Q: I can't distinguish between "code first" and "in diseases classified elsewhere.” Both are used with manifestations and both can't be sequenced as principal diagnosis and both need etiology codes, so what is the difference?
Beginning and sustaining a remote CDI program can be a challenge for even seasoned professionals. Traditionally, CDI specialists put in varying amounts of face-to-face time with the physicians. Ideally, that in-person interaction makes the physicians more open to CDI efforts. However, many remote CDI programs and individual specialists have found creative ways around this face-to-face time.
Peggy S. Blue, MPH, CPC, CCS-P, CEMC , takes a look at scleroderma diagnoses and helps coders to breakdown the disease components and treatment to better identify it in documentation and improve coding. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
On June 13, CMS released the final 2018 ICD-10-PCS codes that will become effective October 1. These changes come on the heels of April’s IPPS proposed rule.
CMS released the final 2018 ICD-10-CM codes on its website on June 13, and the release contained more code changes than expected following a preview of the new code set in April’s 2018 IPPS proposed rule.
In the second part of a two-part series on SE1609, Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA , distinguishes between CPT code 96416 and HCPCS code G0498 for billing and reimbursement purposes while outlining how practices can achieve compliance with CMS’ current external pump policy.
CMS Special Edition article 1609 was released in April to clarify CMS’ policy on prolonged drug and biological infusions using an external pump. Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA , breaks down that article and discusses its billing and reimbursement implications in the first of this two-part series.
Modifier assignment can be a confusing task, and that work is sometimes made more difficult by encountering a set of modifiers which apply to the same circumstance with only one differentiating factor. A review of some of these modifiers, including modifiers -PO, -PN, -73, and -74, can be essential for accurate claims submissions. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
In today’s virtual environment, with its focus on flexible schedules, organizing an inpatient coding team requires consideration of time zones, team member skills, volume of work, and claim-processing schedules. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
