The American Hospital Association does not plan to “convert” past issues of Coding Clinic for ICD-10-CM/PCS. Lynne Spryszak, RN, CCDS, CPC, discusses why this decision has caused concern among coders and clinical documentation improvement specialists, who for years have relied on the guidance published in Coding Clinic to assist with coding complicated diagnoses or procedures.
CMS issued Transmittal 1039 in the One-Time Notification Manual on February 3, which provides guidance on reporting claims submissions and date span requirements for 33X Type of Bill, which pertains to Home Health Agencies, containing ICD-10 codes with dates of discharge on or after October 1, 2013.
Big news regarding the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation timeline came out this morning during the American Medical Association (AMA) National Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC. Per CMS acting...
Inpatient coders currently can default to “not otherwise specified” (NOS) codes in ICD-9-CM Volume 3, but they won’t have that option as frequently in ICD-10-PCS. Coders report NOS codes when the...
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. At least Shakespeare says so. And that has what to do with coding in ICD-10-PCS you might ask. Well, you won’t find...
Outpatient coders are getting very familiar with combination codes when it comes to procedure coding, thanks to the AMA. Coders have been seeing more and more combined procedures in recent years in...
With the increased specificity required for ICD-10-CM coding, coders need a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. To help coders prepare for the upcoming transition, JustCoding will provide an occasional article about specific anatomical locations and body parts as part of a larger series for ICD-10-CM preparation. In this month’s column, Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I, addresses the anatomy of the respiratory system.
To code chemotherapy properly, coders need to understand what the clinical staff actually does for the patient via complete and accurate documentation. Chemotherapy and other injections and infusion present some unique challenges in part because clinical staff members are focused more on patient care than documentation requirements. Paula Lewis-Patterson, BSN, MSN, NEA-BC, and Jugna Shah, MPH, discuss the challenges of compiling complete chemotherapy documentation.
QUESTION: We are a nondialysis facility, so when a patient is in observation for some other reason and must undergo hemodialysis, we report code G0257 (unscheduled or emergency dialysis treatments for an ESRD [end stage renal disease] patient in a hospital outpatient department that is not certified as an ESRD facility). But how should we code peritoneal dialysis when a patient is in observation or inpatient for other problems? I have received three different codes from different coders. I cannot really find any information on this anywhere.
CMS added modifier -PD (diagnostic or related nondiagnostic item or service provided in a wholly owned or wholly operated entity to a patient who is admitted as an inpatient within three days or one day) to the Integrates Outpatient Code Editor (I/OCE) as part of the January updates detailed in Transmittal 2370 .
When the American Medical Association (AMA) made it clear back in November that it wanted to delay the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS, the first thing that came to mind was ... are you kidding me?...
Here are the top 10 reasons you should attend the JustCoding Virtual Summit: ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS February 29-March2. 10. October 1, 2013 is getting closer all the time Remember when CMS...
The January issue of Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter (volume 2, issue 2) addressed a number of recovery audit findings, including ambulance services separately payable during an inpatient hospital stay, diseases and disorders of the circulatory system, and minor surgery and other treatment billed as inpatient stay.
Coders can find the largest number of new codes in the pathology and laboratory section of the 2012 CPT® Manual . The AMA added a total of 103 new codes, 101 of which denote Tier 1 and Tier 2 molecular path-ology procedures.
Self-administered drugs present a significant issue for coders, especially when considering how they may or may not be covered by Medicare Part B. In many instances, payers may consider a drug to be self-administered in some circumstances but not in others. As a result, coders must pay special attention to how these drugs are used within their setting.
In total, the AMA added 60 new codes throughout the surgery section of the 2012 CPT® Manual , 18 of which appear in the cardiovascular and respiratory system subsections. The AMA also revised 86 codes and deleted 48 codes in the surgery section.
Just when you thought you had your RAC processes in place, more changes appear on the horizon. CMS wasn't shy about making changes to the Medicare RAC program in 2011. For example, the second half of the year saw demand letters shift to become the responsibility of Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC)—a change that went into effect January 3, 2012. Joseph Zebrowitz, MD, and Debbie Mackaman, RHIA, CHCO, comment on this change as well as other updates, including the RAC Statement of Work, the Medicaid RAC final rule, and the new pre-bill demonstration program.
In total, the AMA added 60 new codes throughout the surgery section of the 2012 CPT® Manual , 18 of which appear in the cardiovascular and respiratory system subsections. The AMA also revised 86 codes and deleted 48 codes in the surgery section.
