Inpatient coders currently can default to “not otherwise specified” (NOS) codes in ICD-9-CM Volume 3, but they won’t have that option as frequently in ICD-10-PCS. Coders report NOS codes when the...
If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to look at your system capabilities and see what you need to update or upgrade before the transitions to HIPAA Version 5010 and ICD-10-CM/PCS. Start...
Sometimes a surgeon must take drastic action and amputate a patient’s upper or lower extremity. For these cases, we would use ICD-10-PCS root operation Detachment (third character 6). ICD-10-PCS...
OK, so maybe your ICD-10-PCS (Draft) Manual doesn't rank up there with your most memorable reads, however, you can't deny that it's a page-turner! Sometimes, it may seem like you can't find the...
In the medical and surgical section of ICD-10-PCS, character 5 refers to the approach or method used to reach or expose a body part during a procedure. As a result, coders will need to look for...
You need enthusiasm and a desire to keeping learning to tackle the monumental task of learning ICD-10-PCS. In authoring an ICD-10 CM/PCS education program 10 hours per work I learn something new...
When a physician completely closes the orifice or lumen of a tubular body part, coders will look to the root operation occlusion in ICD-10-PCS. The orifice can be a natural orifice or an artificially...
A patient undergoes a hysterectomy and experiences post-procedural bleeding. The surgeon cauterizes the bleed and evacuates a blood clot. In ICD-10-PCS, how do you code the cauterization? With the...
Physicians who are part of a practice do go to the hospital to deliver babies, provide consults, and perform surgeries. So does that mean coders in a physician’s office will need to learn ICD-10-PCS...
When a physician performs a procedure to enlarge the diameter of a tubular body part or orifice, coders will report root operation dilation with 7 as the third character in the medical and surgical...
