ICD-10 implementation will arrive very soon, and many facilities are putting the final touches on their preparations. In the rush to complete coding education, documentation improvement, and system updates, HIM managers may not have looked at looming MS-DRG shifts.
Joint replacement surgery is nothing short of a miracle for those experiencing pain due to an arthritic or damaged joint. The surgery is performed not only on the hip and knee, but also on the ankle, foot, shoulder, elbow, or finger. Patients who have undergone this surgery often regain mobility and are able to live pain free.
Thinking about exiting the coding profession before the transition to ICD-10? Laura Legg, RHIT, CCS, enjoys coding too much to give it up and offers some tips for how to prepare for the transition.
Approach is the fifth character in the ICD-10-PCS code. Laura Legg, RHIT, CCS, AHIMA-approved ICD-10 CM/PCS trainer , reviews the seven approaches used in ICD-10-PCS.
Maternal fetal medicine procedures highlight the differences between ICD-9-CM procedure codes and ICD-10-PCS codes and can serve as a foundation for understanding ICD-10-PCS. Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC, demonstrates how coding for fetal thoracentesis will change after the switch to ICD-10.
The anatomical definition of a body part may not be the same as the ICD-10-PCS identification of a body part. Jennifer Avery, CCS, CPC-H, CPC, CPC-I, Nena Scott, MSEd, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, and Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA, explain the guidelines for selecting the appropriate body part and how body parts can affect root operation selection.
The ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting address four specific circumstances when coders will report multiple procedures. Jennifer Avery, CCS, CPC-H, CPC, CPC-I, and Mark N. Dominesey, MBA, RN, CCDS, CDIP, HIT Pro-CP, explain the guidelines and how they differ from the current ICD-9-CM guidelines.
When outpatient hospitals and physicians switch to ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes October 1, they will still continue to use CPT ® codes to report procedures. But some facilities are planning to use the new procedure code set, ICD-10-PCS, as well.
In order to assign the correct ICD-10-PCS code, coders will need to determine the correct root operation. Christina Benjamin, MA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, discusses the various root operations found in the medical and surgical section of ICD-10-PCS.
Change is consistently a part of HIM and coding. Rules, regulations, and codes change yearly and sometimes quarterly. Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, reveals why the switch to ICD-10 is different from the annual changes coders are used to and how coders and organizations can prepare.