The state of New York issued an executive order directly effecting the work of health information management professionals that limits documentation and coding requirements for COVID-19 patients. Around the same time, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will reimburse hospitals nationwide at Medicare rates for treating uninsured COVID-19 patients.
Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS , writes that one area of risk unique to CDI and coding staff is the physician query. While the creation of the individual physician query usually garners most of the attention, maintenance of query compliance is equally important and frequently overlooked.
Sarah A. Nehring, CCS, CCDS, details ICD-10-PCS reporting for extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO) procedures and says basic knowledge of what an ECMO procedure is, how it is established in a patient, and why it is used can have a large impact on proper reporting and hospital reimbursement.
Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CRC, CCDS, CCDS-O, reviews the latest guidance and ICD-10-CM reporting for common novel coronavirus (COVID-19) scenarios such as reporting for patients who present for testing with symptoms of COVID-19. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Julian Everett, RN, BSN, CDIP , details the updated pediatric sepsis recommendations presented by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign which provides insight for clinical documentation specialists and inpatient coders on current clinical practices for the treatment of pediatric severe sepsis and septic shock.
Q: Is there is any guidance on ICD-10-CM reporting for screening for COVID-19? For example, a patient was admitted with pneumonia and the physician documented “COVID-19 screening completed–NEGATIVE.” Would it be appropriate to assign ICD-10-CM code Z11.59 (encounter for screening for other viral diseases) for this?
CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new ICD-10-CM code for reporting COVID-19 along with relief for facilities participating in quality reporting during COVID-19. Guidance on MS-DRG assignment and CC/MCC status for the new COVID-19 code has also been released.
Amy Sanderson, MD , writes that cerebral edema and brain compression are the result of significant brain abnormalities that can be life-threatening, and it’s important for clinicians to recognize and treat these conditions promptly. Properly documenting these diagnoses in the medical record is important to accurately reflect just how sick these patients are.
Sarah Nehring, CCS, CCDS, reviews ICD-10-CM reporting for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as ICD-10-PCS reporting for procedures such as mechanical ventilations, tracheostomies, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenations. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: We are seeing an influx of possible COVID-19 patients at our facility. How can we prepare to query for COVID-19-related documentation and coding issues that are bound to come our way due to the newness of the diagnosis?
Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, says exciting changes to ICD-10-CM are published in an often-overlooked document called the Addenda. It lists additions, revisions, and deletions to the Alphabetical Index and Tabular List. This might seem mundane until you realize the changes’ potential effect on coding and CDI.
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, details Chapter 5 of the ICD-10-CM manual which contains codes for mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, and says attention must be paid to coding guidelines and instructional notes when reviewing these codes for inpatient assignment.
Yvette DeVay, MHA, CPC, CPMA, CIC, writes that because novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new disease, there is still much to learn about how the disease is spread and what severity of illness it causes. For these reasons and more, many inpatient coders are finding this virus hard to report. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: We are seeing more fundoplication surgeries and esophageal sphincter augmentation procedures for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease at our hospital. Do you have any tips for our coders when reporting these procedures in ICD-10-PCS?
The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recently published new pediatric sepsis guidelines in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine . This update includes information on a two-phase process for septic shock and guidelines for therapy start times.
Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, covers the guidance published in the Fourth Quarter 2019 issue of Coding Clinic , which includes updates for atrial fibrillations, pressure-induced deep tissue damage, and more.
William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP , details guideline changes regarding the diagnosis and treatment of adults with community-acquired pneumonia and provides criteria to clinically validate a diagnosis of Gram-negative and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia.
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP , reviews instructional notes and reporting guidance for ICD-10-CM codes in Chapter 3 of the manual, which includes codes for diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
In 2017, roughly 48 million incident cases of sepsis were recorded worldwide and 11 million sepsis-related deaths were reported, according to a study published in The Lancet . According to the study, this represents 19.7% of all global deaths.
While the premise for quality programs is largely the same across the board, there are many programs and measures that fall under the “quality” banner. From readmissions to present on admission (POA) and patient safety indicators (PSI), CDI programs have a myriad of potential options in terms of record review focus.
Julian Everett, RN, BSN, CDIP , says that 2020 should be the year when more CDI programs and inpatient coding teams ponder the idea of expanding into reviewing obstetrics. In this article, Everett details key areas to consider when starting these reviews, including hiring staff that have experience in obstetrics, conducting case sample assessments, and providing education on coding guidelines.
Sarah Nehring, CCS, CCDS , writes that because of the complexity and frequency of ischemic stroke admissions, inpatient coders should review clinical criteria and ICD-10-CM reporting regularly for this diagnosis to ensure accurate coding and reimbursement. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, making up almost 25% of all cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. In this article, Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CEMC, CRC, CCDS, CCDS-O , reviews ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding for common types of cancer. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
CMS recently published Special Edition MLN Matters article 20004 regarding changes to new technology add-on payments (NTAP) under the IPPS that are meant to increase access to innovative antibiotics for hospital inpatients.
Trey La Charité, MD, FACP, SFHM, CCS, CCDS , writes about conflicting documentation and how coders and clinical documentation integrity specialists can resolve inconsistencies in provider documentation to prevent claim denials.
The ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting were updated for 2020 to include guidelines for coding brachytherapy performed in the inpatient setting. Sarah Nehring, CCS, CCDS , details these changes and how they will impact ICD-10-PCS reporting for permanent and temporary brachytherapy.
With the increased focus on clinical validation denials, more and more CDI professionals are finding themselves involved in the appeals-writing process and may initially feel a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job. This article is part two of the two-part series covering best practices and appeal advice for those on the frontlines.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season is underway for most of the United States, and the activity level is expected to increase over the next several weeks. In this article, Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, reviews inpatient ICD-10-CM reporting for the flu and its potential complications.
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, analyzes pertinent guidelines and coding dilemmas found within Chapter 1 of the ICD-10-CM Manual: Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. Commeree covers instructional note guidance and other chapter specific guidance for diagnoses such as sepsis and HIV. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: We are finding that physician documentation is lacking for vaping-related lung injuries at our hospital, making it hard to report the condition accurately. What can our coding team do to remedy this situation, and how do we accurately report vaping-related lung injuries in ICD-10-CM?
According to the 2019 coding productivity survey recently conducted by HCPro, 36% of inpatient coders indicated that they only coded an average of one to two inpatient charts per hour.
With the increased focus on clinical validation denials, more and more CDI professionals are finding themselves involved in the appeals-writing process and may initially feel a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job. This article will provide you with best practices and appeal advice for those on the frontlines.
Julian Everett, RN, BSN, CDIP , reviews the background of the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) and says that even though the report is only made available through quality or chief financial departments, it is imperative CDI and coding staff have a seat at the table when discussing areas for improvement at a facility.
Sarah Nehring, CCS, CCDS , writes that CDI and coding professionals must understand the guidelines for coding myocardial infarctions (MI) as well as the clinical difference between type 1 MIs and type 2 MIs so they can be clinically validated, queried, and reported effectively to avoid negative reimbursement ramifications. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: Our coding department was told there were changes made for fiscal year (FY) 2020 when it comes to reporting healed/healing pressure ulcers and pressure-induced deep tissue damage. Can you explain any recent updates?
Ninety percent of hospital and inpatient organization leaders are considering outsourcing both clinical and non-clinical functions to achieve cost-efficiencies and succeed in value-based care models, according to a recent Black Book survey.
Q: I’ve heard conflicting information about reporting uncertain diagnoses. Do the ICD-10-CM diagnoses need to be documented in the discharge summary/final progress note or can they be coded from an earlier progress note?
Medicare made $54.4 million in improper payments to acute care hospitals for post-acute transfers that did not comply with Medicare’s policies, according to a recent report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
One strategy for handling the confluence of confusion surrounding frequent criteria changes comes in developing a set of organizationwide clinical criteria for targeted, high-risk/high-volume diagnoses. This article discusses others’ experiences in developing standardized clinical indicators and guidelines at their facilities.
Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS, reviews the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent proposal to update ICD-10-CM reporting for sepsis, which, if adopted, will go into effect October 2020.
Inpatient coders may query to achieve clarity within the medical record and allow for accurate ICD-10-CM/PCS reporting. This article will cover when to query, how to format a query, and review ICD-10-PCS code anatomy to ensure a well-rounded and precise query is submitted. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Safety-net hospitals may not have adequate resources to comply with federal and state sepsis quality improvement standards required of acute care hospitals, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Critical Care .
As of December 4, nearly 2,300 cases of lung injury related to vaping have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this article, Adriane Martin, DO, FACOS, CCDS , covers guidance, clinical indicators, and ICD-10-CM reporting for vaping-related lung injury.
According to Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, updating diagnosis codes has been integral to the evolution of our healthcare system. In this article, she reviews the background and basics of ICD-11 in preparation for future implementation of the code set. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
