Q: A patient receives treatment for two ulcers, one on his foot and one on his hip. The physician performs a subcutaneous debridement to treat the foot ulcer and a muscle debridement to treat the hip ulcer. How would this be reported?
Every year, more than 30 million people in the United States are diagnosed with sinusitis, otherwise known as a sinus infection. Debbie Jones, CPC, CCA, reviews signs and symptoms of sinusitis and CPT coding for procedures used to treat the infection.
At the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting on Monday, May 7, CMS administrator Seema Verma focused on the agency’s efforts to reduce regulatory burdens and continued move from a fee-for-service to value-based system.
Do you question how your compensation and work responsibilities compare to those reported by coders across the country? To see how you stack up, review results from JustCoding’s 2017 Coder Salary Survey . Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Coders and clinical documentation improvement specialists play a key role in the success of quality payment programs such as MIPS. This article describes the financial impact that hierarchical condition category coding has on provider reimbursement and the coder’s role in ensuring complete, accurate, and timely documentation. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: If a patient is seen for a pressure ulcer on the foot related to diabetes, would you report a diabetes diagnosis code? If surgical debridement is performed and the patient receives treatment for their diabetes, can you charge for both an office visit and debridement?
While oral arguments in the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) lawsuit against CMS for its cuts to 340B drug payments in the 2018 OPPS final rule don’t begin until May 4, providers may want to take steps now to preserve their appeal rights if the AHA’s lawsuit is successful.
One in 12 adults suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence, and more than half of adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking. Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, outlines ICD-10-CM rules for substance use, abuse, and dependence, and diagnosis coding for alcohol-related conditions.
Telehealth services continue to expand and claims for these services may already be under scrutiny by Medicare contractors. Debbie Mackaman, RHIA, CPCO, CCDS, writes about the differences between originating site and distant site services in addition to coding, billing, and reimbursement for telehealth services.
It’s estimated that more than half a million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Debbie Jones, CPC, CCA , outlines symptoms and treatments for Crohn’s disease, as well as ICD-10-CM coding for the condition and associated complications.
Almost 70% of Americans are considered overweight or obese. Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, CRC, CCDS , reviews ICD-10-CM coding and HCC risk adjustment for obesity.
Coding for hydration and chemotherapy administration can be a daunting task for both beginner and experienced coders, who may not understand the hierarchy rules and gray areas in the CPT guidelines. Review correct coding for these services and how they fit into the hierarchy. Note: To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
CMS held a listening session March 21 to gather input from stakeholders on potential updates to the E/M documentation guidelines. The current guidelines are considered outdated in light of medical advances and the advent of the electronic health record.
Valerie Rinkle, MPA, writes about CMS’ hospital prohibition of unbundling rules and a new outpatient date of service exception for molecular pathology and advanced diagnostic laboratory tests.
Even experienced coding professionals find injection and infusion coding confusing because CPT guidelines for these services differ from the guidelines for most other services. Review the drug administration hierarchy and guidelines for reporting therapeutic, prophylactic, and diagnostic injections and infusions. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
In response to ongoing criticism from physicians and the government’s own advisory panel against the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Wednesday, March 21, to defend the administration’s implementation strategy for the new physician payment program.
Stress urinary incontinence is a common problem induced by minor physical stressors such as laughing, coughing, or sneezing. Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC , writes about CPT coding for procedures such as sling operations and laparoscopies, used to treat urinary stress incontinence.
CMS released Transmittal 3997 March 8, outlining HCPCS drug and biological code updates. These changes include updates to specific biosimilar biological product HCPCS codes, modifiers used with these biosimilar biologic products, and an autologous cellular immunotherapy treatment.
