Treatment options for spinal conditions are varied and may include pain management with medications, injections, or surgical interventions. Adrienne Commeree , CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP , breaks down spinal anatomy and ICD-10-PCS coding for spinal fusions and laminectomy procedures.
Correct documentation and coding are key to accurate reimbursement, but according to the Office of Inspector General, organizations aren’t hitting the mark on either when billing for inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) services.
Diagnosis coding for neoplasms can be particularly challenging, as neoplasms are classified by site, behavior, and morphology. Review ICD-10-CM coding and guidelines for reporting solid organ tumors and cancers affecting the bone marrow and lymphatic system. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Patients who use oxygen at home for a primary respiratory condition typically present with some degree of respiratory failure. Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH, CCDS , describes common documentation issues related to oxygen requirements for the diagnosis of acute respiratory failure.
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, writes that accurate ICD-10-CM/PCS coding for the heart improves data quality, which in turn is used for statistics and tracking trends, so it is imperative to ensure the disease process is captured correctly.
At the beginnings of inpatient coding and CDI, we had books like DRG Expert and Excel-based programs for MS-DRG selections. More than 10 years later, vendors are offering web-based technologies that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to make us even more productive in both coding and CDI. The real question, however, is how we can best leverage those technologies.
Having taken on more diverse responsibilities, many providers regard medical coding as a necessary evil; their primary focus is caring for their patients. Although many physicians select codes for the work they perform, they rely on specialized coding and auditing professionals to review their documentation and reporting for accuracy.
Valerie Rinkle, MPA, CHRI, covers important proposals found in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 IPPS proposed rule, including coding updates, new technology payment changes, and increases to low wage index hospitals.
Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, presents a review of MS-DRG basics to ensure that inpatient coders have a thorough understanding of MS-DRGs’ intricacies, thus perfecting assignment and reimbursement accuracy.
Peggy Blue, MPH, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC , writes that due to the frequency of diagnoses and treatments for breast cancer, it’s more important than ever for inpatient coders to make sure they are reporting these diagnoses and procedures with the utmost accuracy. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, reviews recent Coding Clinic, First Quarter 2019, advice, which includes guidance on reporting abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs, spinal fusions, Whipple procedures, midline and central venous catheters, and more.
Although computer-assisted coding and natural language processing software has improved many aspects of daily CDI work, the technology requires ongoing oversight to ensure efficacy and accuracy. Therefore, CDI professionals, and even inpatient coders, need to be aware of the software’s potential pitfalls within the CDI department and develop tactics to overcome them.
Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, writes that treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is variable and includes both medical and surgical therapy. Given the frequency of this condition, it is imperative that inpatient coding professionals have a clear understanding of the surgical treatment of PAD to avoid costly ICD-10-PCS errors. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Health records are data-rich, and more stakeholders are looking to dip into them for increasingly diverse purposes such as population health and value-based care programs.
Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCDS , reviews the background of MS-DRGs, as frequently revising MS-DRG basics will ensure that inpatient coders have a thorough understanding of the MS-DRG intricacies, thus perfecting overall assignment and reimbursement accuracy.
The beginning of the year is a time to go back to basics—or even, in some cases, to start over. Revisiting information on how to conduct a medical record review may, at first glance, feel like a basic or beginner topic. But medical record review is an important subject for all CDI professionals, and even coders, to consider.
Keeping up with changing coding guidance adds to the complexity of reporting digestive procedures. In this article, Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP , reviews ICD-10-PCS reporting for common digestive procedures including the Whipple procedure and lysis of adhesions. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Laura Legg, RHIT, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, takes a look at some common questions asked about MS-DRG optimization and reviews how inpatient coding and documentation plays a large role in the process.
Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, details the process of submitting ICD-10-CM codes to the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee meeting by sharing the experience a medical coding educator and a CDI physician adviser had when submitting a proposal for the March 2018 meeting.
Karen, a 67-year-old patient with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and tobacco use, presents to her primary care physician with complaints of pain in her right buttock and thigh when she walks from her house to her mailbox. She is then admitted as an inpatient for surgery.
Assigning the appropriate ICD-10-PCS code for spinal procedures can be a challenge for inpatient coders, as they need to correctly assign the entirety of a seven-character ICD-10-PCS code.
Cheryl Manchenton, RN, explains CMS’ Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) and says inpatient coding professionals can play a significant role in HACRP success by understanding the basis for hospital-acquired condition scores and ensuring that documentation and coding accurately and fully captures patient conditions and complications.
A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an interventional cardiology procedure that has proven to be an important life-saving cardiac intervention frequently seen by inpatient coders. In this article, Stephen Houlahan, RN, MSN, MBA, CCDS, reviews TAVR history, clinical background, and documentation and reimbursement methodologies to ensure proper education and compliance for facilities.
Coders often wonder how to define realistic productivity benchmarks. Different facilities establish the responsibilities and expectations of their coding teams, so productivity standards are not uniform.Coders often wonder how to define realistic productivity benchmarks. Different facilities establish the responsibilities and expectations of their coding teams, so productivity standards are not uniform.
Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, details the updates found in the 2019 ACDIS/AHIMA “Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice” and writes that thorough knowledge of query guidelines is essential for inpatient coders and staying abreast of these guideline updates is crucial.
With March declared National Endometriosis Awareness Month, Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CRC, CCDS, HCS-D, details endometriosis-related procedure reporting for inpatient coders. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS, reviews the clinical validation of acute congestive heart failure (CHF) exacerbation and shares his hospital’s coding and documentation strategy to help in appeal battles.
The benefits outweigh the difficulties when it comes to retrospective reviews. How do you get started with this new venture? Like many aspects of CDI, there are many ways to approach the problem. This article details these approaches, including how to enhance coder and CDI collaboration for these reviews.
Laurie L. Prescott, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP , details the basics of ICD-10-CM/PCS for newer inpatient coders including a review of the ICD-10-CM seventh-character extension, placeholder use, and ICD-10-PCS root operations. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Not many clinical conditions cause more consternation for inpatient coders and CDI specialists than acute and chronic respiratory failure. In this article, William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, details acute and chronic respiratory failure and the critical elements in the health record that validate their reporting.
If we look at each element of a coding audit, we can see the benefits these coding reviews provide. Every healthcare organization and hospital should invest in routine, internal coding audits. The alternative is waiting until the payer conducts an audit, denies a claim, and incurs costs for the organization.
Consider the story of a patient—say, a pneumonia patient—whose treatment cost a lot of money. The hospital’s reimbursement for that care, however, was less than the cost of providing it. Now say someone looked at that case and how complex it was, and then saw that the reimbursement only paid for half the cost of caring for that patient. That’s how CDI was born.
As an inherited blood disorder, sickle cell disease is passed from parent to child. Children with sickle cell disease often have two defective hemoglobin S genes , one from each parent. However, various forms of sickle cell disorder also occur when a person inherits one hemoglobin S gene (sickle cell gene) from one parent and a different type (other than the S type) of defective hemoglobin gene from the other parent. All of these forms have distinct ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, making reporting complex.
In 2013 the “ Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice ,” a collaboration between AHIMA and ACDIS, was published. It has served as the industry guideline for the establishment of best practices surrounding queries. Since that time this brief has been updated twice: once in 2016 and most recently in 2019 .
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, reviews ICD-10-CM/PCS cardiac coding for American Heart Month and writes that since accurate coding improves data quality for these conditions, which in turn is used for statistics and tracking trends, ensuring the disease process is captured correctly is imperative. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Joe Rivet, JD, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CHC, CCEP, CHRC, CHPC, CICA, CPMA, CAC, CACO, explains that reporting sepsis has long been a challenge for many coders even with the continual release of Coding Clinics and guideline revisions. In this article, Rivet reviews common coding traps for this condition including reporting urosepsis, severe sepsis, and sepsis on admission.
CDI professionals can improve documentation and data scores via a mortality review process. This article discusses the various types of mortality reviews and publicly reported data and gives tips on how to implement a successful mortality review process.
Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CRC, CCDS, HCS-D, reviews Coding Clinic , Fourth Quarter 2018, advice surrounding body mass index reporting and how new advice conflicts with previous guidance. McCall also reviews payment methodologies and the official guideline updates for this condition. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Julian Everett, BSN, RN, CDIP, details her experience reviewing pediatric mortality cases for the first time and gives tips on how the different revenue cycle departments can work together to improve their processes and outcomes.
Denise Wilson, RN, MS, RRT, and Karla Hiravi, RN, BSN, explore why coding and clinical denials for acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute tubular necrosis (ATN) are different and the importance of different appeal strategies.
Training new inpatient coders and CDI staff is a big job that often takes several months to conclude, but the end of orientation doesn’t mean that staff members never have to undergo education ever again. As most are keenly aware, the ground is always moving under our feet. From new regulations, to coding guideline changes, to new clinical definitions, education never truly ends.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, with symptoms that include problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Understanding Alzheimer’s disease and its symptoms is important to coders, as some of the entries in the ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index can be confusing.
Rules governing code assignment often don’t make sense to those coming from the clinical side, such as CDI. In truth, they often confound professionals with years of inpatient coding experience, too. And most CDI and coding professionals have a list of frustrations when it comes to translating clinical documentation into ICD-10 codes.
In 2018, most organizations held the line on coder productivity, according to the results of sister publication HIM Briefings’ 2018 coding productivity survey.
