Chapter 19 of ICD-10-CM includes codes for various types of injuries, poisonings, and other consequences of external causes. Review integumentary anatomy and ICD-10-CM coding for burns and superficial injuries. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Due to the complex nature of sepsis, some cases require querying the provider prior to assigning ICD-10-CM/PCS codes. Alba Kuqi, MD, MSHIM, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, CRCR, CICA, CSMC, RHIA, CCM , breaks down inpatient coding and querying for sepsis.
Coding for spinal diagnoses requires careful attention to detail. Take time to review spinal anatomy and ICD-10-CM coding for common diseases of the spinal column and paravertebral tissues. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Inpatient coders know that clinical indicators for certain conditions frequently require greater completeness or specificity in ICD-10-CM for which a concurrent or retrospective query is often required. This article will review clinical indicators and query opportunities for common respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, respiratory failure, and asthma.
Alba Kuqi, MD, MSHIM, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, CRCR, CICA, CSMC, RHIA, CCM, says that when reporting sepsis in ICD-10-CM, it’s important that evidence of sepsis is found throughout the body of a patient’s medical record. A clinical validity query may be necessary if the provider confirms the diagnosis of sepsis, but clinical evidence is lacking in the documentation.
Susan Belley, M.Ed., RHIA, CPHQ, and Audrey Howard, RHIA, write that a majority of inpatients during this omicron surge are admitted for reasons other than COVID-19 and are incidentally found to be COVID-19-positive—making this an opportune time to review ICD-10-CM reporting for COVID-19 as a secondary diagnosis. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
ICD-10-CM codes for traumatic fractures specify the type of bone injury, affected area of the body, and in some cases, the degree of soft tissue damage. Review orthopedic terminology and documentation requirements for traumatic fractures to resolve the coding challenges.
Jillian Harrington, MHA, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-P, CCS, CCS-P, CEMC, MHP, writes that in order to ensure proper coding, documentation, and reimbursement, it’s great practice to have inpatient coding and CDI teams review querying procedures yearly. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Most risk adjustment models use ICD-10-CM codes to identify patients who are considered “risky” by healthcare insurance companies. The process of risk adjustment is used to predict costs linked to care delivery and quality reporting, which is why thorough knowledge of risk adjustment is important for hospitals to ensure proper quality reporting.
Sarah A. Nehring, RHIT, CCS, CCDS , writes that with new COVID-19 codes coming in April 2022, now is a good time to review these updates as well as an ICD-10-CM code that was previously released in an April update: electronic cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
