Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a minimally invasive procedure developed to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high-risk or unsuitable candidates for traditional open-heart surgery. Learn from Jane Arbogast-Schappell, CCS, CPC, CCC, CIRCC, as she walks through the procedural coding for both inpatient and outpatient settings.
You’ll have to wait a while longer for National Correct Coding Initiative edits for 2026-effective codes. However, the latest quarterly NCCI update will include new medically unlikely edits for a variety of HCPCS codes that went into effect in July and October 2025.
Our experts answer questions about emergency transport services, the medical necessity requirements for epidurals to treat chronic pain, and medication noncompliance vs. underdosing.
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare coding, staying grounded in the fundamentals is not just best practice, it’s a necessity. As regulations shift, payer expectations tighten, and productivity pressures mount, coding professionals must continually revisit the core principles that ensure accuracy, compliance, and integrity in clinical documentation and billing.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the AMA will add a number of changes to CPT codes for two related sections: Digitally Stored Data Services/Remote Physiologic Monitoring; and Remote Physiologic Monitoring Treatment Management Services.
Q: A patient was initially treated for extensive burns on his lower back and the posterior side of both thighs. The physician documented that the patient had second- and third-degree burns of the lower back (2% Total Body Surface Area [TBSA] second-degree and 7% TBSA third-degree) and third-degree burns of both thighs (9%). What ICD-10-CM codes would be assigned for this encounter?
CMS announced its A/B Medicare administrative contractors have withdrawn the local coverage determinations for skin substitute grafts/cellular and tissue-based products for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.
Use the documentation “cross-out test,” clinical vignettes, and expert answers to scenarios to educate staff about when they can and cannot unbundle an evaluation and management visit from a same-day procedure.
Medical coders work with many different code sets including CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10-PCS, and ICD-10-CM. This means coders need to be well-versed in medical terminology. One terminology not often talked about in coding circles is the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms—despite the system being around for more than 20 years.
Medicare pays for physical and occupational therapy services when the medical record and the information on the claim form accurately report covered therapy services. This article discusses Medicare’s documentation requirements to justify billed therapy services. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
