‘Tis the day before Christmas and all are not well at North Pole Industries. Ernie the head elf has lost his grip, literally. Ernie, it seems, can’t hold on to the toys he’s building. When he goes to...
Armadillos apparently pose more hazards to your health than just passing on leprosy. A Texas man recently tried to shoot an armadillo three times and ended up being hit by his own bullet . He claims...
As each day passes, we get closer to the implementation date of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. I have been scouring the ICD-10 manual to identify things that will change (some things for the better, some...
Sitting hunched in front of a computer can be a bad thing. Aside from missing all of the splendid fall foliage, you could also be straining your neck muscles and causing yourself plenty of pain. So...
Don’t let rumor steer you away from the goal of being ready for ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation. By now, everyone has heard that CMS plans to issue a proposed rule with a new ICD-10-CM/PCS...
Coders should focus on chest pain, among other areas, as part of a larger review of ICD-9-CM codes and in preparing for ICD-10-CM. Coding chest pain in ICD-9-CM requires the physician to document the...
The Glasgow Coma Scale provides an objective way of recording the conscious state of a person, for initial as well as continuing assessment. A patient is assessed against the criteria of the scale,...
We’ve read the words of caution and heard the urgency of the message: Don’t put off planning for ICD-10. And while there is no one-size-fits-all plan for implementation, there is one tip that...
People are creatures of habit. Some of them are good, some not so good. Coders, too, are creatures of habit. We know certain codes without having to look them up. (Anyone know the code for...
Inpatient coders are used to being able to code conditions documented as possible, probable, suspected, or rule out, as if they were in fact confirmed. Outpatient coders can’t do that. They need a...
