If you're not already actively using your hospital's PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report), you're missing out on a lot of valuable data.
With some major changes in look and form-but generally adhering to existing guidelines-coding for neoplasms serves as a microcosm of the changes providers will face when the transition to ICD-10-CM occurs October 1, 2014.
Over and over, one gets frustrated that professional coders are told that they are smart and educated and know about anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, and then the same people turn around and say, "You code what the doctor documented and it's not up to you to question the physician."
Coders may find assigning codes for sepsis somewhat easier in ICD-10-CM, but they will still face some challenges. The first of those challenges, and probably the biggest, centers on physician documentation.
ICD-10-CM implementation is less than a year away and coders should be starting their ICD-10-CM code training if they haven't already. Coders don't need to learn the specific codes right now, but they should be familiar with some of the conventions and guidelines in ICD-10-CM.
Poor Mr. Frank N. Stein, he’s literally falling to pieces. Not to worry, though, Dr. Shelly at the Stich ‘Em Up Hospital will have him back together in no time. Frank’s most obvious problem is that...
Our sister publication , Medical Records Briefing, is conducting a benchmarking survey on ICD-10 implementation, and we would appreciate your input. Please take a few moments to complete this survey...
Coder productivity was a hot topic of conversation during the AHIMA pre-conference in Atlanta October 26-27. We all know coders will be less productive initially after the transition to ICD-10. The...
Greetings from Atlanta! I spent the weekend collecting all kinds of tips and information about ICD-10 during the AHIMA Conference pre-conference sessions. These are just a few of the best tidbits...
Coders will use an ICD-10-PCS table to build a code for a hip or knee replacement. As with any procedure, coders must first determine the root operation. Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPMA, CEMC, CPCD, COBGC, CCS-P, CDIP, and Wanda L. Cidor, guide you through coding for these procedures.
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.
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.
Jacob comes into the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic with a hairy problem—namely too much hair. He’s covered in it, head to tail, I mean toe. He also reports a strange urge to howl at the moon and a severe allergy...
Sitting hunched in front of a computer can be a bad thing. Aside from missing all of the splendid fall foliage, you could also be straining your neck muscles and causing yourself plenty of pain. So...
Mr. Jack O. Lantern is here at Stich ‘Em Up Hospital to have his guts removed. Dr. Carver begins by removing a section of Jack’s skull, then begins to remove Jack’s guts. How would we code this...
Small and mid-sized hospitals are increasing their ICD-10 training for staff, according to a recent Health Revenue Assurance Associates (HRAA) survey of 200 healthcare professionals. However, many still lag behind CMS’ timeline for dual coding and other implementation aspects.
Packaging still causes confusion amongst healthcare providers and the number of packaged services will greatly expand if CMS finalizes certain parts of the 2014 OPPS proposed rule. Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA, and Kimberly Anderwood Hoy Baker, JD, CPC , discuss what changes could come in 2014 and how to avoid common packaging errors.
Some of the most sweeping changes in OPPS history were proposed in the 2014 rule, including new packaging rules, quality measures, and changes to evaluation and management. Jugna Shah, MPH, and Dave Fee, MBA, look at some of the changes and how they could impact providers.
