Q: Should we query for the specific pulmonary exacerbation of cystic fibrosis (CF)? Coding Clinic states that the exacerbation of CF should be listed first.
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.
So many coding topics to audit, yet so few staff members to perform those audits. Julie Daube, BS, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, reveals steps you can take to resolve this dilemma and determine which areas to audit in 2013.
Every few years, the AHA publishes guidance in Coding Clinic that can significantly affect inpatient coders, such as guidance published in the Second Quarter 2012 on neoplasm coding. Randy Wagner, BSN, RN, CCS, and Paul Dickson, MD, CCS, CPC, review the new guidance and how to use the TNM cancer staging system.
How many of you are worried about getting physicians on board with the ICD-10 transition? We all know physicians are busy people. So how do you get them engaged in learning about the increased...
You need enthusiasm and a desire to keeping learning to tackle the monumental task of learning ICD-10-PCS. In authoring an ICD-10 CM/PCS education program 10 hours per work I learn something new...
Q: What CPT ® code best describes the Bier block procedure? We are toiling over this and the most recent CPT Assistant says to use 64999 (unlisted procedure, nervous system). But the article referenced is from 2004. We just want to make sure there is nothing more recent.
In order to accurately code physician and provider services, coders must know and understand the place of service (POS) codes. Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC, details the specific POS codes and how to appropriately report them.
Quite a few campers took advantage of the nice weather this weekend to make one last trip into the woods before winter. Unfortunately, some of them ended up in Fix ‘Em Up Clinic as a result of their...
Do you know what you don’t know about ICD-10? Do you know where your knowledge gaps are? Unfortunately, the answer is probably no. More than half of the people who responded to our completely...
Wile E. Coyote may bill himself as a Super Genius, but based on his last visit to the ACME ED, I think that’s overstating things a bit. What landed Wile E. back in the ED, you ask? Another...
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.
Although hospital infection rates continue to decline, Medicare payment penalties are not the cause, according to the New England Journal of Medicine article titled Effect of Nonpayment for Preventable Infections in U.S. Hospitals .
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.
Coders can go a bit overboard when reporting CCs and MCCs. Cheryl Ericson, MS, RN, CCDS, CDIP, and Deborah K. Hale, CCS, CCDS, reveal the dangers of over-reporting CCs and MCCs and how to report them appropriately.
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...
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.
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.
