In the first part of a two-part series, Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I, AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer, discusses the use of Z codes in ICD-10-CM.
CMS Transmittal 547 changes the audit timeframe for complex reviews from 60 to 30 days for some MAC and Recovery Auditor reviews. The change could significantly affect the volume and timeliness of complex reviews for providers. The transmittal becomes effective February 24, 2015.
Q: If the physician writes septic shock instead of sepsis, do I need to query for sepsis? Is this an integral part of the diagnosis and sepsis would be the principal diagnosis, with septic shock a secondary diagnosis, making it an MCC?
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven swans a-swimming. To be completely accurate, he took a group of us on a road trip to a pond where the swans swam in blissful ignorance of...
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a-laying. My favorite Uncle Ted was so excited about this gift that he rushed right over to relieve those geese of their eggs. Bad idea...
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings. Hey wait, there are only four rings here. Where did the other one go? Oh no, little Andrew shoved it up his nose. Time to...
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four calling birds. I’m starting to think he raided a pet shop. Or maybe he captured these in the park. He says they’re calling birds. They look...
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three French hens. Awesome, more birds. My house is starting to look like an aviary. I’m also not sure why my true love thought it necessary to...
Recovery Auditors have identified improper payments for claims involving end-stage renal disease (ESRD) services when more than one monthly service was billed per month and per-day codes exceeded the limit, according to the latest Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter .
Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC , writes about how to reduce queries by highlighting the information providers need to document for the most common OB ultrasound procedures.
The added detail found in ICD-10-CM may require coders to brush up on their anatomy and physiology training to select the most appropriate codes. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I , reviews the anatomy of the male reproductive system and how coding for it will change in ICD-10-CM.
Q: I have a question regarding CPT ® code 99184 (initiation of selective head or total body hypothermia in critically ill neonate, includes appropriate patient selection by review of clinical, imaging, and laboratory data, confirmation of esophageal temperature probe location, evaluation of amplitude EEG, supervision of controlled hypothermia, and assessment of patient tolerance of cooling) in the 2015 CPT Manual . What if the neonate is in the hospital for several weeks? The total body hypothermia is performed, the baby improves, but remains in the hospital and then needs the procedure performed a second time. Can we report it a second time if several weeks have elapsed?
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves. Hmm, you think he would have learned his lesson with the partridge. Apparently not. And apparently Mr. Whiskers isn’t hungry...
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. How…nice. Fortunately, the tree is way too big for the living room (it also clashes with my real Christmas tree)...
Usually in this blog, I talk about ICD-10 implementation and coding from the coder or HIM point of view. But I wanted to share some suggestions from James S. Kennedy, MD, CCS, CDIP, president of...
Poor Finn. He’s heading for his first birthday, but he may not be in a partying mood. After Finn developed his fifth ear infection in six months, mom Melissa decided it was time to put tubes in his...
I’m almost afraid to read my email these days. It seems like every day brings a new group trying to delay ICD-10 or another piece of legislation that ICD-10 opponents might slip delay language into...
Q: We’ve heard that ICD-10-CM does not include a diagnosis code to show that a laparoscopic procedure was converted to an open procedure. How will we report this in ICD-10?
ICD-10-CM introduces new requirements for coding skull fractures and brain injuries. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Kristi Stanton, RHIT, CCS, CPC, CIRCC, explore how coding for these conditions changes in ICD-10-CM.
