Outpatient coders currently report procedures using CPT codes. That won’t change after the switch to ICD-10. However, some facilities currently require outpatient coders to also report procedures...
If you have looked at the ICD-10-PCS Manual, you know that the codes are arranged in tables based on the first three characters of the code. The table contains all of the possible choices for...
Some of the removal root operations can easily be confused with other root operations that involve taking out solids, fluids, or gases from a body part (e.g., drainage, extirpation, and fragmentation...
Sometimes our patients are very sick, very injured, or undergo multiple procedures during their stay. So how do you pick your principal procedure code in ICD-10-PCS? The ICD-10-PCS guidelines offer...
Physicians use devices all the time during procedures. For example, they may place a temporary catheter in a patient, insert a drug-eluting stent, or insert a central line. So when do you report a...
Almost all of the ICD-10-PCS root operations describe very specific intent. Think about the difference between root operations excision and resection. Excision involves removing some of a body part...
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) posted the new 2011 guidelines for ICD-10-CM on its website. You won’t find many significant changes to conventions, general coding guidelines, and chapter...
CMS recently posted the 2012 ICD-10-PCS codes and coding guidelines . A summary of the major changes for 2012 states that there are 1,182 new codes, 381 revised titles, and 1,345 deleted codes. In...
A step-by-step approach to code assignment is helpful when trying to understand the complexity of ICD-10-PCS. Step one: Determine the first character, which denotes the general category of the...
With ICD-10-PCS, coders will have 31 root operations to choose from and not all of them are clear cut. Start learning the root operations now to prepare you for the switch to ICD-10-PCS. The ICD-10-...
