We’re officially three months (okay, 91 days) away from ICD-10 implementation, so you need to give your surgeons a quick introduction to ICD-10-PCS. Do NOT try to teach them to code. That’s not the...
Physicians often use the terms acute renal failure (ARF) and acute kidney injury (AKI) interchangeably to describe an abrupt decrease in kidney function that is reversible within three months of loss of function.
PSI 12 evaluates the hospital's risk-adjusted rate of perioperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) in surgical discharges for patients 18 years and older. Performance for PSI 12 contributes 25.8% of the PSI 90 composite score under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program.
In an effort to accommodate the latest advances in technology and make the code set easier to modify for future technological changes, the AMA extensively overhauled codes for reporting drug testing in the 2015 CPT® Manual.
With fewer than 100 days until ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation, plenty of questions still remain about ICD-10-PCS coding. The AHA's Coding Clinic for ICD-10 continues to provide updates and guidance for a variety of inpatient procedures, both routine and not so routine. We examine some of that guidance in this article.
In this month’s issue, we review some of Coding Clinic’s advice for ICD-10, examine how clinical indicators can help coding for acute kidney injury, and discuss inclusions, exclusions, and coding and documentation vulnerabilities for PSI 12. Robert S. Gold, MD, explains why respiratory failure isn’t always respiratory failure.
Respiratory failure, whether acute or chronic and whether following surgery or not, is one diagnosis that is always an easy target for those who abuse the documentation and assignment of ICD codes.
Lately I've received a lot of questions from hospitals about how to determine when and if it's appropriate to report an E/M visit code on the same date of service as a scheduled procedure.
In an effort to accommodate the latest advances in technology and make the code set easier to modify for future technological changes, the AMA extensively overhauled codes for reporting drug testing in the 2015 CPT ® Manual.
Most coding professionals have heard modifier -59 (distinct procedural service) referred to as a modifier of last resort and to be cautious in using this modifier.
Jurassic World is ruling the box office, so I thought I would use another blast from the past for the blog. Archeologists in Peru recently uncovered the skeleton of a teenage girl in a historic...
Richard came in to see Dr. Guts complaining of severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and blood in his stool. Dr. Guts sends Richard for a battery of tests and discovers Richard suffers from a...
How ready are you for ICD-10? The answer might depend on the type and size of your organization. Eighty-five percent of hospitals reported training staff on ICD-10, according to a recent eHealth...
Multiple surveys have shown that physician practices are lagging behind in preparation for ICD-10. CMS recently released a Quick Start Guide that outlines five steps healthcare professionals should...
Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, CDIP, COBGC, explains how to identify anemia in documentation for OB/GYN patients and which ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM should be reported.
Q: Should modifiers for laterality be used for CPT ® code 31624 (bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; with bronchial alveolar lavage)?
Cardiac conditions are some of the most common diagnoses seen in hospitals. Betty Hovey, CPC, COC, CPB, CPMA, CPC-I, CPCD, and Shelley C. Safian, PhD, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I, review coding conventions and documentation details for reporting heart failure and angina in ICD-10-CM.
A survey conducted in May and June 2015 found providers have completed many steps toward ICD-10 implementation, but lag behind in testing and expect to continue managing the impact after the deadline.
Many organizations still lag in ICD-10 implementation, but it's not too late to prepare. Gloryanne Bryant, BS, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CCDS; Jean S. Clark, RHIA, CSHA; and Caroline Piselli, MBA, RN, FACHE, detail the steps organizations should take in order to be ready by October 1.
The American Medical Association (AMA) is pushing for a two-year safe harbor for physicians so the doctors won’t be penalized for “errors, mistakes, and malfunctions relating to the transition.” That...
