Our friends at the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists are putting the final touches on their conference preparations. They have sent off the final shipment to San Antonio (...
We love surveys, especially about ICD-10. Seriously, how many ICD-10 surveys have you been asked to fill out in the past year alone? It’s very easy to look at survey results and think things look...
If nothing else, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, is consistent. He again introduced legislation to kill ICD-10. (The bill is H.R.2126 if you are interested.) Poe has tried this trick before. He introduced an...
In case getting allergic rhinitis from your dog wasn’t bad enough, a Colorado man contracted the plague from his pit bul l. And then he may have passed it on to another person. Person-to-person...
And the flowers bring pollen. Achoo! Allergies are a fact of life for millions of Americans—approximately 30% of adults and 40% of children suffer from allergies, according to the American College of...
Our friends at the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists hold their annual conference next month in San Antonio , Texas. And like everything in Texas, it’s going to be BIG ...
You learn something new every day. Today’s new fact: you can be a professional video game player. I’m not sure why that surprises me. After all, video games have come a long way from the Atari and...
You may recall that Steve’s super streak at the Vegas craps table ended with a torn right ulnar collateral ligament. On the recommendation of his primary care physician, Steve consulted an orthopedic...
You know us and the staff at the Acme ED, Fix ‘Em Up Clinic, and the Stitch ‘EM Up Hospital. Now, we want to get to know a little bit about you, our readers. Please complete this short survey to tell...
I spent the weekend reading the 2016 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. Not the most thrilling reading ever (government-ese should be classified as a foreign language). I did...
Last week, Steve spent some serious time at the craps table in Las Vegas. He was on a real roll with those dice, racking up a 14-hour winning streak. However, on that last throw, something went very...
The endless last-minute patches for the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) are almost history. Late last night, the Senate overwhelmingly passed H.R. 2, which repeals the SGR. The House overwhelmingly...
CMS is asking for some social media help in support of ICD-10. The agency is planning a social media rally to encourage the healthcare community to get ready for the ICD-10 transition. You can sign...
I’m always fascinated by new medical research and information about diseases I’ve never heard of. They also make great fodder for this blog. I recently came across an article on REM sleep behavior...
Fifteen-month-old Finn is back at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic today to see Dr. Spock. Finn is currently suffering from a fever, reduced appetite, and sore throat, according to his mom Melissa. Finn just...
As we continue to move closer to ICD-10 implementation (still set for October 1, 2015), I keep finding more reasons why we need better documentation. I am not trying to pick on physicians (really),...
Ruth and Gary thought it would be great fun to give their nieces Amanda and Rachel some peeps for Easter. Amanda and Rachel thought they were getting marshmallow treats (so did their parents) so it...
No joke this time. We have six months left until ICD-10 implementation. That’s a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is that all of the hard work we’ve put into training and implementation...
One of the great things about healthcare and medicine is you can always learn something new. Today’s odd but true condition is exploding head syndrome. (I love the Internet.) If you have ever...
Jeff went on vacation to Hawaii three weeks ago to enjoy some sun, sand, and surfing. He came back with some cool photos and a broken ankle. Apparently, the parking lot at the beach did him in even...
Poor Wendy. Shortly before Christmas, she stubbed her toe, really hard. However, no bruise appeared and her toe didn’t swell up, so she thought nothing of it. Three weeks later, she stretched her...
You have one more chance to participate in CMS’ end-to-end testing. The agency is currently looking for approximately 850 volunteers for the June 1-5 testing week. You can volunteer on your MAC’s...
Liam spent this St. Patrick’s Day on a fruitless quest for a pot of gold. He powered up for his quest by having a few glasses of green Guinness beer for breakfast. Turns out it’s not a good idea to...
Poor Wile E. Coyote is headed for surgery. As you might recall, Wile E. suffered a subdural hematoma following a collision with a cliff on Friday the 13th. Dr. Frankenbean decided to try conservative...
Poor Wile E. Coyote, Friday the 13 th has not been kind to our favorite super genius. Wile E. arrived at the Acme ED decidedly the worse for wear after his latest encounter with a certain speedy bird...
Melissa took her four nephews sledding over the weekend to the boys’ delight. They had a great time. Aunt Melissa, however, didn’t escape the adventure unscathed. While descending the (not really)...
We want physicians to be very clear in their documentation about what’s wrong with the patient and what the physician did to make that patient better. Our friends over at the Association of Clinical...
A new article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry shows a strong link between genetics and autism. That’s not an unusual or completely unexpected outcome. Scientists...
Just when we were starting to feel really good about ICD-10’s chances of being implemented, AHIMA has learned that Chairman of the House Rules Committee Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is looking to draft...
Joe came into the Stitch ‘Em Up Hospital for a colonoscopy and therapeutic polypectomy. Once Joe was under, Dr. Ben E. Full performed a digital rectal exam, which showed good sphincter tone. Dr. Full...
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is conducting an ICD-10 readiness survey to find out how ready the healthcare industry is for the October 1, 2015 implementation date. Providers,...
Add another nail in the “delay ICD-10 because the industry isn’t ready” coffin. CMS d eclared its end-to-end testing week from January 26 through February 3 a success . A total of 661 volunteers...
Tobie comes into the Acme ED Tuesday complaining of stomach cramps, nausea (but no vomiting), light-headedness, and chest pain. What in the world could be wrong with Tobie? Dr. H.M. Lock examines...
Quick, what’s the ICD-9-CM code for diabetes? I bet you knew it was 250.00. What’s the ICD-10-CM equivalent? Does ICD-10-CM even have an equivalent, since 250.00 is very vague? Yes, we do have a...
Ah, Fat Tuesday (AKA Mardi Gras), the last big blowout before Lent begins. For those not of a religious bent, it’s still a good reason for an all-day party. Here at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic, we have...
My true love did his best over the weekend to make up for the 12 days’ worth of bad gift giving at Christmas. Alas, the best(?) laid plans of mice and men often go astray. My true love’s first...
Implementation costs and plans took center stage at The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on health’s ICD-10 Implementation hearing today. Seven witnesses testified before the...
Most coders will spend their time reporting codes from the Medical and Surgical section (first character 0) and the Obstetrics section (1). Each character in those sections has the same meaning:...
“Practice makes perfect” is a well-known adage. How many people can do any new task requiring specific skills successfully without practicing? We can’t consider the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS...
Don’t look now, but Congress is examining ICD-10 implementation again. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on healthcare will hold a hearing at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, February 11 ,...
Curious about how CMS’ end-to-end testing for ICD-10 is going? Want to know how you can sign up? CMS is hosting a National Provider Call on ICD-10 implementation and Medicare testing from 1:30-3 p.m...
And a chilly one it is. It’s also the day after the Super Bowl, which means patients with a variety of injuries arrived at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic today. First is Phil, who is convinced he is a...
We’re into dig out mode here in Anytown and apparently, not everyone got the memo about proper snow shoveling techniques. Richard came into the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic complaining of intense pain in his...
Here in Anytown we are getting blasted by a big winter storm, which means we’re also seeing lots of patients with storm-related injuries at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic. Doug came into the clinic...
We can choose from 31 root operations in the ICD-10-PCS Medical and Surgical section, but biopsy isn’t one of them. So which root operation do we use when a physician performs a biopsy? The answer is...
Some diseases can cross between species, which can presents a significant problem. Just think back to how quickly avian flu spread starting in 2003. It turns out that diseases have been crossing that...
Every have one of those days when you feel like you’ll never be warm? I’m having one of those. One of the downsides to have a window cube is the cold seeps in with the sunshine. Or with the dreary...
Oh, the joys of being an 8-year-old with a snow day. Joey spent the weekend playing in his newly built snow fort without a hat, scarf, or pair of sunglasses. Now he’s complaining of hot, tender,...
Well, it’s not quite the polar vortex of 2014, but it’s definitely polar bear weather out there. As in, polar bears are the only ones who appreciate this kind of cold. We’re starting to see some...
Ready to test your ICD-10 systems with CMS? The agency is currently accepting applications for its second end-to-end ICD-10 testing week, scheduled for April 26-May 1. Each MAC (and Common Electronic...