Laura Legg, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, writes that coders will benefit from digging deeper into the meanings of the new fiscal year 2018 ICD-10-PCS cardiovascular code descriptions to be able to fully comprehend and use them.
Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS, reviews 2017 First and Second Quarter Coding Clinic advice, which includes sequencing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with other respiratory diagnoses and body mass index reporting instructions.
James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP , writes that if a payer has criteria that differs from that of the provider or the facility, Recovery Auditors can deny ICD-10-CM/PCS codes they deem not to fit these criteria. Kennedy gives solutions for coding compliance for conditions such as sepsis, coma, and encephalopathy.
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.
While you thought that we’ve finally mastered coding compliance with DRGs and quality measures, now it is time to learn the compliance risks and opportunities with a new risk-adjustment method applicable to MACRA, Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC).
Most healthcare systems already have a proven process in place to monitor revenue integrity and ensure correct reimbursement. Beyond the day-to-day revenue cycle staff involved in revenue integrity, more than 60% of hospital executives believe revenue integrity is essential to their organization’s financial stability and sustainability, according to a survey by Craneware, Inc .
Turning the microscope to critically examine the program you painstakingly created is no easy task. It is a challenging process that requires a fair amount of humility and humbleness. It’s hard to accept that your program, your staff, and you (the physician advisor) might suddenly not be as effective as you previously believed. Believe me, I speak from experience.
A recent Coding Clinic has garnered a lot of questions on inpatient obstetrics coding. While coders were originally taught to use multiple codes for the repair of a third- or fourth-degree perineal laceration, Coding Clinic , First Quarter 2016, states that you don’t use multiple codes for third- and fourth-degree tears, because you need to code to the “deepest layer.”
Traditionally, the OPPS rulemaking cycle has been the main vehicle for changes to outpatient coding and billing regulations and policy that hospitals need to pay attention to. But Jugna Shah, MPH , writes that, increasingly, CMS has been introducing or discussing changes relevant to outpatient hospitals beyond the scope of the OPPS rules.
