In its November issue, the Journal of AHIMA published an article citing significantly lower costs for physician practices to transition to ICD-10 than the numbers supplied by Nachimson Advisors in a...
Oh, that Jose Canseco. Such a kidder. Turns out, his claim that his finger fell off during a poker game was a joke. He did actually shoot part of it off “cleaning” his gun and did indeed have it...
Providers gauge the severity of an acute brain injury using the Glasgow Coma Scale, and in ICD-10-CM, coders will be able to code this score. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA, explain how to code the coma scale in ICD-10-CM.
Baseball fans may remember Jose Canseco as part of the Oakland A’s slugging duo, the Bash Brothers. He made a lot of money hitting the ball very, very far. I hope he saved some for his medical bills...
As healthcare professionals, we’re all familiar to some degree with HIPAA. You know, the law that makes it illegal to release protected health information, among other things. Hospital employees have...
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for ICD-10 implementation by small physician practices was the estimated cost of the transition. Those costs may not be as high as originally estimated, according...
Ever play with a Magic 8 Ball? (If not, there’s an app for that.) Ask it a question, shake it up, and get an answer. Usually something vague (and vaguely ominous) like, “Reply hazy try again.” Asking...
You may have noticed that the ICD-10 manuals have the word “draft” splashed all over them. (If you have an actual paper ICD-10 manual that is. The PDFs don’t include the word draft.) I had someone...
Welcome to OR 13 at the Stitch ‘Em Up Hospital, where Dr. Hack N. Slash is preparing for today’s procedure. And what is today’s procedure? Dr. Slash is performing a cut down and suturing of a...
ICD-10-CM is similar to ICD-9-CM, but coders need to watch out for differences which could lead to incorrect coding. Nelly Leon-Chisen, RHIA, Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA, and Sarah A. Serling, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CEMC, CCS-P, CCS , discuss possible pitfalls for coding myocardial infarctions, neoplasms, and external causes in ICD-10-CM.
Gerri Walk, senior manager of technical training for HRS in Baltimore, had the absolute best reason for learning to code in ICD-10. During the 2013 AHIMA National Conference in Atlanta, Gerri...
Editor's note: 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, we will provide an occasional article about specific anatomical locations and body parts as part of a larger series for ICD-10-CM preparation. This month's column addresses the anatomy of the thoracic cage.
Many coders rely on the advice in the American Hospital Association (AHA)'s Coding Clinic to resolve sticky situations with ICD-9-CM coding. However, the AHA will not be transitioning its current guidance to ICD-10-CM. Instead, in January, it began focusing solely on ICD-10-CM questions to help clear up confusion prior to implementation.
Ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties are parading through the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic. It must be Halloween and the staff Halloween party. Even the best planned Halloween party can go astray (...
Once upon a midnight dreary, as I labored on a query To send to the doc whose documentation was a source of constant woe As I nodded, nearly napping (that darn G47.411 again) Suddenly there came a...
Ewww, I don’t think so. Your feet stink. What could be causing that foul odor to emanate from your feet? The most common cause is sweat. Just sniff your old gym sneakers and you’ll see what I mean...
When coders run into a tough coding question, they often look for guidance in the AHA’s Coding Clinic . Coding Clinic is a resource, but it’s not always the final word. The AHA publishes Coding...
Poor Mr. Frank N. Stein. He just coughed up a lung. Literally. While it is possible to survive on one lung, it’s generally not recommended, so Frank is here at the Stitch ‘Em Up Hospital to get a new...
If I hear one more person poke fun at ICD-10-CM code V97.33XD (sucked into a jet engine, subsequent encounter), I am going to develop a very strong case of R45.850. (That’s homicidal ideation in case...
