The 2014 IPPS Final Rule was supposed to be implemented with enforcement beginning October 1, but one of its most controversial aspects has seen another delay in enforcement, with major healthcare trade groups seeking more.
ICD-10-CM codes may look completely different, but many of the coding steps remain the same. Betty Hovey, CPC, CPC-H, CPB, CPMA, CPC-I, CPCD; Julia Palmer, MBA, RHIA, CCS ; and Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, CDIP, AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer explain how to code for neoplasms in ICD-10 and which changes to note.
Mr. Jack O. Lantern underwent some significant surgery at Stitch ‘Em Hospital back on October 16. Dr. Carver removed Jack’s liver, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, appendix, and gall...
Which tasks have you completed on your ICD-10 implementation list? We want to know. Our sister publication , Medical Records Briefing, is conducting a benchmarking survey on ICD-10 implementation,...
Initially, we thought that outpatient coders didn’t have to learn to code in ICD-10-PCS. They would still use CPT® codes to report physician services in the outpatient world. Now it looks like that...
A wound is an injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other external or internal factor. Robert S. Gold, MD , and Gloria Miller, CPC, CPMA , review anatomy and documentation for wounds and explain how to code for wound care in ICD-9 and ICD-10.
Recovery Auditors are data mining for sepsis MS-DRGs and then focusing in on those with a short length of stay. Robert S. Gold, MD, and Gloryanne Bryant, BS, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, provide tips for correct sepsis coding to avoid auditor takebacks.
Physicians believe they are providing quality care, which gives them high job satisfaction. However, the problems associated with using electronic health records decreased that satisfaction, according to a recent RAND survey.
The ICD-10 implementation will result in a slowdown at every level of coding. Elaine O’Bleness, MBA, RHIA, CHP, Migdalia Hernandez, RHIT, Kimberly Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, and Rachel Chebeleu, MBA, RHIA, provide suggestions on how to minimize that productivity decline.
Our experts answer questions about followup visits in the ED, skin substitutes, flu vaccines, osteoporosis and fractures in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-CM external cause code, modifier for discontinued cardioversion, and modifier -25
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."
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.
All pressure ulcers are wounds, but not all wounds are pressure ulcers. A wound is an injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other external or internal factor. Wounds usually break or cut the skin.
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.
In this month's issue, we explain how coders will report sepsis in ICD-10-CM, go beyond pressure ulcers for coding wound care, review the importance of PEPPER, and reveal how to uncover and correct documentation deficiencies before ICD-10 implementation. Dr. Robert Gold introduces you to SIRS and our coding experts answer your questions.
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.
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.
Coders select E/M levels based on criteria developed by their organization. CMS has proposed a significant change to E/M coding-replacing the current 20 E/M levels for new patients, existing patients, and ED visits with three G codes-but that change would only apply to Medicare patients and only to the facility side.
In this month's issue, we review ICD-10-CM guidelines, illustrate how neoplasm coding will and won't change in ICD-10-CM, identify elements for appropriate ED E/M level selection, and answer your coding questions.
