The incidence of stroke and transient ischemic attack is increasing as the baby-boomer population ages. James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP , writes that understanding and embracing clinical and coding fundamentals for these conditions is essential in the joint effort to promote providers’ complete documentation and the coder’s assignment of clinically valid codes.
Red letter days in coding compliance occurred in December 2016 and January 2017 with the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) release of two audit reports. These reports asserted that Northside Medical Center of Youngstown, Ohio, and Vidant Medical Center of Greenville, North Carolina, improperly submitted ICD-9-CM codes for marasmus and severe malnutrition.
In today’s ever-changing healthcare landscape, emphasis is shifting away from fee-for-service to pay-for-performance, from volume-based care to value-based reimbursement, and from case-mix index to outcome measures.
The selection of the principal diagnosis is one of the most important steps when coding an inpatient record. The diagnosis reflects the reason the patient sought medical care, and the principal diagnosis can drive reimbursement.
The human eye may be small, but it’s one of the most complex organ systems in the body. Review the anatomy of the eye and how to code for conditions affecting the system, including new details for 2017.
Amber Sterling, RN, BSN, CCDS , and Jana Armstrong, RHIA, CPC , discuss revenue integrity and how it focuses on three operational pillars: clinical coding, clinical documentation improvement, and physician education.
Erica E. Remer, MD, FACEP, CCDS , explains what clinical validation denials are, how they are determined, and how a coder can help to limit these rebuffs.
