Hospital inpatient

As you may know, ICD-9-CM V codes have been expanded to include higher body mass indexes (BMI). More specifically, code category V85.4x denotes a BMI of 40 or more in an adult. How can you calculate BMI?

Hospitals have long lamented the difficulty of obtaining physician buy-in for various quality improvement initiatives.

Coding of wounds has been a complicated and never-ending issue and it will become a bit more complex in ICD-10.

Q: Which root operation would we use in ICD-10-PCS for a polypectomy when a biopsy is done on different polyps?

Robert S. Gold, MD, highlights areas of confusion involving PSI 15 guidance.

CMS provided plenty of proposed refinements to quality measures in the 2016 IPPS proposed rule, but did not suggest any changes to the 2-midnight rule. Kimberly A.H. Baker, JD, CPC, James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP, and Shannon Newell, RHIA, CCS, highlight the most significant proposed changes.

Q: We’ve heard that ICD-10-CM does not include a diagnosis code to show that a laparoscopic procedure was converted to an open procedure. How will we report this in ICD-10?

Provider documentation of inpatient wound care services may be confusing at best and completely lacking at worst. Coders end up trying to decipher exactly what procedure the provider performed. Gloryanne Bryant, BS, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, and Robert S. Gold, MD, offer tips to assist coders in choosing the correct code for inpatient wound care.

Q: Is there any scenario in which a coder can append a seventh character of “S” (sequela) as the principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis?

ICD-9-CM codes invariably change over time. Some changes are for the better, and some are for the worse.