A greater telemedicine uptake among mental health specialists did not result in improved access to care for patients in communities with specialist shortages, according to a study published in JAMA Open Network.
At the recent public ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee Meeting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics discussed a draft proposal involving an expansion of sepsis diagnosis coding. Review the updates being considered for implementation on April 1, 2027. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register if you do not have a paid subscription.
A report published by the American Cancer Society found that colorectal cancer rates among adults younger than 65 continue to increase while rates for older adults continue to decline. The study found that the increase is being driven by a higher prevalence of rectal cancer, which now makes up 32% of all colorectal cancer diagnoses, up from 27% in the mid-2000s.
Porcelain aorta is a disease that is caused by severe and widespread hardening of the walls of the ascending aorta that reaches to the aortic arch and descending aorta. Although there are several methods used to diagnose porcelain aorta, Brandi Hutcheson, RN, MSN, CCM, CCDS, CCA, says there is not a clear consensus on how it should be diagnosed.
Q: A patient presents with acute respiratory failure with hypoxia due to an accidental heroin overdose. What is going to be sequenced first: the acute respiratory failure or the poisoning?
Q: What steps should medical coders take to correctly code adverse drug effects in ICD-10-CM, and when should a provider query be submitted if documentation is unclear or unspecific?
In December 2023, the Office of the Inspector General published a toolkit for Medicare Advantage organizations who submit high-risk diagnoses, and it announced in January 2026 that an audit will be conducted on high-risk codes that the organizations submitted for 2024. Nancy Reading, BS, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I, reviews the high-risk codes and emphasizes what to look for in the documentation to support coding practices.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. recorded 649 maternal deaths in 2024. While the total number of deaths declined slightly from 669 deaths in 2023, the overall maternal mortality rate showed no statistically significant improvement, highlighting ongoing challenges in maternal health outcomes.
From an inpatient coding perspective, vascular dementia may be documented for hospitalized patients because it coexists with other acute or chronic medical conditions. Accurate coding of the condition and its associated risk factors and complications will ensure the patient’s overall severity of illness and complexity of care are fully captured. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register if you do not have a paid subscription.
Neonatal intensive care units provide care and additional medical attention for neonates who might be born prematurely, with low birthweight, with a medical complication, or with a congenital anomaly. Follow Shelley C. Safian, PhD, RHIA, CCS-P, COC, CPC-I, as she delves into common services performed in these units and how they are reported with ICD-10-PCS codes.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease is a chronic immune-mediated fibroinflammatory disorder that often manifests with tumor-like masses and/or painless enlargement of multiple organs. Shontia Leon-Guerrero, CPC, CEDC, CEMC, CPC-I Educator, explores the general manifestations of the disease, its signs and symptoms, as well as key documentation tips and a coding scenario.
Review a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggests respiratory syncytial virus poses a far greater long-term health risk to adults in the months following hospitalization than previously understood due to increased risks of complications for myocardial infarction, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, congestive heart failure exacerbation, and arrhythmia.
For CPT and ICD-10-CM coding of fracture treatment, coders—particularly those in orthopedic practices—need to identify several vital pieces of information from the physician’s note. This article covers the keys pieces of information and other tips to ensure accurate coding of fracture treatment.
Review a study based on ICD-10-CM data from the National Vital Statistics System that shows life expectancy for the United States population increased to 79.0 years in 2024 while the mortality rate decreased by 3.8% to 722.1 deaths per 100,000 of the standard population in 2024. Also determined were leading causes of death.
A diagnosis of cancer becomes a pre-existing condition that will follow a patient for the rest of their life, but clinical records do not always provide the level of detail required to work within the framework set forward in the coding rules when it comes to reporting active neoplasms from personal history. Nancy Reading, BS, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I, explores ICD-10-CM guidelines for such neoplasm scenarios.
Medical coders work with many different code sets including CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10-PCS, and ICD-10-CM. This means coders need to be well-versed in medical terminology. One terminology not often talked about in coding circles is the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms—despite the system being around for more than 20 years.
Due to all of the possible scenarios that come with a pregnancy, the reporting of ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes must reveal the specific risks patients have so that procedures, services, and treatments can all be supported. Follow Shelley C. Safian, PhD, MAOM/HIM/HI, RHIA, CCS-P, COC, CPC-I, as she outlines best practices for specifically reporting high-risk pregnancies.
