Ethical dilemmas can creep in at any time during a coder’s average workday. However, one might be hard pressed to find a coder who will openly acknowledge this. Brad Hart, MBA, MS, CMPE, CPC, COBGC, and Kathy DeVault, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, explore how coders can and should handle ethical dilemmas.
It’s All Saints Day (you know, the day after Halloween) and the waiting room at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic is full of ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties. I’m not sure if we have any things...
The ICD-10-CM/PCS delay may give coders more time to learn the new system, but what does this mean for organizations that have already begun to prepare?
Every few years, the AHA publishes guidance in Coding Clinic that can significantly affect inpatient coders. Coding Clinic , Second Quarter 2012, includes such guidance.
In this month's issue, we unravel the complexities of billing for self-administered drugs, explain how to jump-start your ICD-10 transition plans, discuss changes to the I/OCE, and answer reader coding questions.
Our coding experts answer your questions about how to determine the correct units for drugs, billing for fluoroscopy, therapy caps under OPPS, and payment for critical care and separately reported services
Learn why continuing the momentum will facilitate your transition to ICD-10, how to establish a game plan for ICD-10 physician queries, how one hospital plans to use computer-assisted coding for ICD-10 preparation, why medical coding dilemmas require a proactive approach, and new information about coding metastatic neoplasms.
ICD-10-CM/PCS incorporates laterality, acuity, anatomical specificity, and a slew of additional combination and complication codes. Who will submit queries when this information is missing in a medical record? Will coders or CDI specialists take on this role? Perhaps it might be a combination of the two.
The manager of clinical documentation integrity program/HIMS at a 300-bed academic medical center and pediatric specialty hospital has high hopes for computer-assisted coding (CAC). In particular, she anticipates that it will increase productivity and ease the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS.
Because of the increase in the number and type of outpatient services provided, more patients are being impacted by noncoverage of self-administered drugs. Kimberly Hoy, JD, CPC, and Valerie Rinkle, MPA, explain why CMS sometimes--but not always--covers self-administered drugs.
Hurricane Sandy blasted the Mid-Atlantic region this week, causing plenty of destruction in its wake. We could undoubtedly spend a lot of time coding for the injuries people suffered as a result of...
Q: It appears that one requirement for using CPT ® codes 15002–15005 with application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is that the wound must be healing by primary intention. Can you explain this? We have never used these codes with preparation for vacuum assisted closure (VAC) placement, but it doesn't make sense, as NPWT is almost always used for wounds healing by secondary intention. Our physicians appreciate any clarification.
Basing a coder’s successful completion of a coding audit only on coding accuracy overlooks importance of local coverage determinations (LCD) and national coverage determinations (NCDs). Glenn Krauss, BBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPUR, C-CDI, CCDS, explains the role LCDs and NCDs play in determining practical day-to-day coding accuracy.
The CPT ® Editorial Panel revised its guidance for critical care codes to specifically state that, for hospital reporting purposes, critical care codes do not include specified ancillary services. Denise Williams, RN, CPC-H, and Caral Edelberg, CPC, CPMA, CAC, CCS-P, CHC, discuss how coders should code for critical care services and review which services are bundled into critical care.
Providers are beginning to see some translation of CMS’ National Coverage Determinations (NCD) for ICD-10 with the release of Transmittal R1122OTN and Medlearn Matters Article MM7818 .
The rules for coding for facilities and physicians are basically the same for most services, but coders follow different rules for appending certain modifiers. Christi Sarasin, CCS, CCDS, CPC-H, FCS , Kimberly Anderwood Hoy, JD, CPC , and Peggy Blue, MPH, CPC, CCS-P, separate physician and facility rules for using modifiers -26, -TC, and -79.
Inpatient coders will face a big learning curve when it comes to ICD-10-PCS. It’s a completely different system with a lot more detail than ICD-9-CM Volume 3. The biggest potential problem could be...
