Hospital inpatient

One of the reasons that we all read Briefings in Coding Compliance Strategies is to maintain our competence and quality in coding and risk-adjustment principles as to anticipate how recovery auditors and accountability agents view our coded data. While a good compliance officer and attorney knows the law, the better one knows the law, the judge, and the jury.

The fiscal year (FY) 2018 IPPS final rule includes updates to payment rates and quality initiatives, but some of the most extensive changes pertain to MS-DRG classifications and relative weights.

What is best practice? Who or what defines it? We hear it talked about all the time—but what does it really mean, and who does it apply to?

You may be thinking that you’ve never heard of scleroderma. As a coder, we know to look at these big fancy words and break them down by their root words in order to get a clue of what we’re talking about.

CMS recently released the fiscal year (FY) 2018 IPPS final rule which featured updates to various quality initiatives, along with annual payment updates for inpatient services.

Beginning or expanding a remote CDI program requires planning, and it might not be for everyone. But, with the right preparation, organizations can make the transition beneficial to all.

James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CCDS, CDIP, details how Coding Clinic , Second Quarter 2017, did not disappoint in addressing clinical issues affecting those in coding compliance and instructing how to properly use the ICD-10-CM Index and Table .

CMS recently released the 2018 IPPS final rule, with updates to various quality initiatives, annual payment updates for inpatient services, and an extensive amount of now-annual ICD-10-PCS code additions, deletions, and revisions. This article reviews guideline updates, the addition of “other devices” characters, and new tables added for root operation Replacement. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.

Julia Hammerman, RHIA, CPHQ , and Sam Champagnie , explain how the newness and specificity of ICD-10 ushered in a stronger focus on clinical coding audits and how coding audit best practices shifted following implementation.