DRGs for procedures unrelated to the principal diagnosis shouldn't occur frequently. If they do, coding managers should take a closer look at coding compliance efforts to ensure accuracy and avoid costly audits.
Coders may need to have a conversation with physicians about how changes in ICD-10-CM could require additional documentation for mental disorders due to a known physiological condition. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I , AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer, compares coding for these conditions in ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM.
Q: A patient comes in with a malunion of a fracture. A different physician treated the patient initially for the fracture, but the patient came to see our physician for surgery to repair the malunion. Which seventh character should we use: A for initial encounter or P for subsequent encounter for fracture with malunion?
Auto manufacturers rely on them to make decisions about improving passenger restraints in vehicles. Industrial engineers may reference them when advocating for improved design of staircases to prevent falls. Drug companies use them to bolster support for child-resistant packaging.
QUESTION: How will we be able to code for procedures such as Billroth procedures, Roux-en-Y anastomoses, and Whipple’s procedure when eponyms won’t be used in ICD-10-PCS?
CMS proposed a major change to physician certification requirements in the 2015 OPPS proposed rule. Kimberly A.H. Baker, JD and James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP, break down how the change could affect inpatient admissions.
Q: A patient has unintentionally failed to take a prescribed dosage of insulin due to his Alzheimer’s dementia (age-related debility), and is admitted for initial care with inadequately controlled Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Which ICD-10-CM code(s) should we assign?
The digestion process is complex and there’s a lot that can go wrong. Thankfully, Robert S. Gold, MD, unravels the topic of mechanical and paralytic ileuses in this week’s article.
