Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS , invites a deeper understanding for diagnosing and documenting acute renal failure and any other related diagnoses—before exploring the plethora of denial strategies medical staff may face. Not to worry as there are opportunities for successful appeals!
Acute respiratory distress syndrome presents a significant clinical challenge due to its rapid onset, high mortality rate, and complex management. Alba Kuqi, MD, MSHIM, RHIA, CCM, CRCR, CICA, CSMC, CSAF, CCS, CCDS, CDIP , delves into the comprehensive aspects of ARDS to show how coders, alongside healthcare providers and CDI specialists, play an essential role in reporting the complete picture of the condition.
An upcoming audit reviewing Medicare inpatient hospital billing for sepsis underscores the critical importance of accurate coding and clinical validation. With guidance from Leigh Poland, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CIC , coders can help prevent costly coding errors, reduce the risk of audits, and ensure hospitals are appropriately reimbursed for the care they provide. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: An elderly male patient has a rectal fistula with an abscess requiring complex packing of the wound. The most recent wound documentation reports “complex persistent rectal fistula with underlying abscess present, cultures show positive for E. coli and Klebsiella.” The patient will be administered daily IV antibiotics via a PICC line that has been placed. How would this encounter be reported in ICD-10-CM?
Q: Patient presents with a chief complaint of persistent cough for 10 days with occasional mucus. She has a history of chronic asthmatic bronchitis for many years; is quite frail, reporting decline in energy and activity tolerance; was a smoker until about five years ago; and suffers chronic smokers’ cough and centrilobular emphysema. Past medical history includes heart failure, hypertension, and pulmonary hypertension. How would this diagnostic note be reported in ICD-10-CM?
To align subcategories for diagnosis coding with the DSM-5 classification subcategories for feeding and eating disorders, new ICD-10-CM codes were added in the FY 2025 update. Nancy Reading, RN, BS, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I , reviews the clinical criteria for affected disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, pica in adults, and rumination disorder.
Certain diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) remain vulnerable to audits and denials, not only for DRG and clinical validation, but for medical necessity as well. Kim Conner, BSN, CCDS, CCDS-O , explores areas coding professionals can support when being proactive against these denials.
Coding professionals face challenges when the clinical meanings of words do not match the ICD-10-CM classification system, particularly for records related to matters of the heart. Follow Laurie Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC , as she applies critical thinking, knowledge of disease processes, and an understanding of ICD-10-CM codes to accurately report acute MI cases.
Coagulopathy describes the impairment of the blood’s ability to coagulate, leading to prolonged or excessive bleeding that may occur spontaneously or following an injury. Explore the basics of the condition as well as practical tips for accurate ICD-10 coding. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: A 65-year-old female has been on Effexor for major depressive disorder for three months and went to her healthcare provider due to tachycardia and palpitations along with mild muscle cramping. It was found that she had accidentally been taking double her prescribed dose due to misunderstanding the instructions. It is reported that she developed serotonin syndrome resulting from toxicity and was also diagnosed with mild hypertension (138/88) due to the serotonin syndrome. How would this encounter be reported in ICD-10-CM?
Lymphoma diagnosis codes received a robust overhaul with the release of the 2025 ICD-10-CM codes, reflecting advancements in understanding and classifying lymphoma. Accurate coding is crucial for reporting such nuances, and Nancy Reading, RN, BS, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I , is here to update coders on the changes.
With guidance from Linda Martien, CPC, COC, CPMA, CPC-I, CRC, AAPC approved instructor, AAPC fellow , coding professionals can review arthritis codes to avoid the use of generalized codes in order to reflect a patient’s condition more accurately and ensure compliance with insurance requirements.
Q: A patient presents with exacerbation of COPD complicated by positive COVID-19 with COVID-19 pneumonia and superimposed MRSA bacterial pneumonia in the setting of chronic bronchitis due to smoking, severe persistent asthma (not currently in exacerbation), and left lower lobe lung cancer in remission following a lobectomy one year ago. Patient continues to smoke cigarettes. How would this diagnostic note be reported in ICD-10-CM?
Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, provides an overview of toxic encephalopathy including signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, and relevance for coding professionals and CDI teams.
Pancytopenia is defined as the simultaneous presence of anemia, leukopenia (neutropenia), and thrombocytopenia. Refresh yourself on how each condition plays a role in diagnosing, treating, and coding pancytopenia. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
A cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the detection of incident stroke events is moderately accurate when using ICD-10-CM codes in Medicare claims and very accurate in ruling out non-stroke cases.
Malnutrition affects millions of people across all age groups, and to better discuss and understand the coding nuances of malnutrition, Cokethia Rachel, CPC, CCS, CPMA, SSBBP, demonstrates how coders should define the condition, appropriately review relevant documentation, and recognize when the medical necessity of malnutrition has been supported. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: Video colonoscope was advanced through a patient’s rectum to the cecum where there was normal-looking mucosa throughout. The patient had scattered diverticula in the sigmoid colon and a 6-mm sessile polyp in the proximal rectum that was removed completely by hot biopsy technique. Surgeon documented to await pathology report. How would this operative note be reported in ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS?
Q: A patient is in the postpartum period after delivering a healthy baby girl. She developed diabetes mellitus during the pregnancy. She is being treated with Metformin, an oral hypoglycemic drug. How would this situation be reported in ICD-10-CM?
CMS released the FY 2025 IPPS final rule on August 1, which seeks to address key social determinants of health and strengthen emergency preparedness. This rule updates Medicare payments and policies for discharges from inpatient hospitals beginning October 1, 2024.
CMS’ fiscal year 2025 IPPS proposed rule and fact sheet proposes to upgrade certain codes describing social determinants of health (SDOH) to better capture the effect of housing instability on beneficiaries.
Without proof that services rendered were medically necessary, third-party payers are unlikely to approve claims for reimbursement. With tips from Shelley C. Safian, PhD, RHIA, CCS-P, COC, COC-I , medical coding professionals can use ICD-10-CM codes to prove medical necessity. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: A patient presents with a chief complaint of thoracic intrinsic spinal cord lesion causing back pain, left lower extremity sciatic-type pain, and foot drop. An MRI of the thoracic spine revealed a T11-T12 spinal cord lesion consistent with a cavernous malformation. Which ICD-10-CM codes would be reported?
Q: A 64-year-old female patient who has a bilateral lung transplant presents with COVID-19 (reason for admission) with acute respiratory failure. She also has immunosuppression from drugs. How would this scenario be reported in ICD-10-CM?
JoAnn Baker, CCS, CPC, COC , defines sepsis and septic shock, and delves into the emerging initiative to integrate AI into the diagnosis and treatment process.
Q: A 64-year-old female inpatient has hepatocellular cancer with an orthotropic liver transplant with bile duct obstruction and is immunosuppressed due to drugs. Which ICD-10-CM codes would be reported?
Verbal conversations with providers regarding reportable conditions and procedures are considered verbal queries. Refresh how they should be memorialized within the record to maintain compliance. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that four popular pretest risk assessment models for evaluating risk of hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism in inpatients did “not perform particularly well.”
Q: A patient has acute renal failure due to dehydration, a history of Type 1 diabetes mellitus causing end-stage renal disease, a kidney transplant two years ago, and chronic kidney disease stage 3a, immunosuppressed by their drugs. How would this be reported in ICD-10-CM?
Brandi Hutcheson, RN, MSN, CCM, CCDS, CCA , examines the coding and clinical literature on malnutrition and obesity to see how coders can reconcile these seemingly disparate diagnoses.
Managing chronic conditions requires involvement from many parties, making documentation challenging. Assess how to improve documentation and reimbursement for chronic conditions with tips provided by Arta Kelmendi-Doko, MD, PhD . Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
A Journal of the American Medical Association study found that ICD-10-CM influenza codes accurately represented cases of positive diagnoses in pediatric patients, but their sensitivity was modest.
Despite the expansion of codes that came with the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10-CM, the majority of codes for inflammatory arthritis were not frequently used in 2015 through 2021, researchers found.
Sarah McDonald, CPC , reviews ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding guidelines for the U.S.’ most common orthopedic surgeries: hip and knee replacements. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Pressure injuries, which can lead to a patient safety indicator (PSI), require clear documentation and coordination among coding, CDI, and clinical departments. Katherine Siemens, RN, BSN, CMSRN, CCDS , evaluates how poor coordination could result in a PSI being incorrectly reported.
Q: A 64-year-old female bilateral lung transplant recipient presents with aspiration pneumonia, hypoxia, and has immunosuppression from the drugs. How would this scenario be reported in ICD-10-CM?
Q: How would the scenario of a previous kidney transplant patient presented with sepsis due to acute pyelonephritis (E. coli), CKD, and immunosuppression be reported in ICD-10-CM?
CMS’ fiscal year 2025 IPPS proposed rule and fact sheet, published April 10, includes proposals for a 2.6% payment increase, a new bundled payment program, code updates, and other policy changes.
Sarah McDonald, CPC , examines the ICD-10-CM/PCS coding conventions for symptoms, stages, and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease—a commonly diagnosed digestive disorder in the U.S. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study that found that high-flow nasal cannula protocols were associated with a 6.1% reduction in ICU admissions among children.
Q: Aside from Coding Clinic , Third Quarter 2005, pp. 19–20, is there any more up-to-date advice on reporting ICD-10-CM diagnoses from physician orders?
Sarah McDonald, CPC , explains the spinal fusion process and overviews the process of constructing ICD-10-PCS procedure codes character by character. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
This article explains the quality metrics of hospital-acquired infections and accidental punctures and lacerations, and details how collaborative efforts can reduce these risks.
Sarah McDonald, CPC , analyzes the process of reporting traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries ICD-10-CM, notably the cause of injury, reason for the encounter, and aftereffects. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Laurie Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC , summarizes guidance from the 2024 first quarterly release of Coding Clinic , including reporting for postoperative complications, non-traumatic kidney injuries, and vertebral artery dissection.
CMS will be holding its next ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting March 19-20. The committee will deliberate applications for new ICD-10-PCS and ICD-10-CM code assignments. If approved, the codes will become effective October 1, 2024.
