Laura Legg RHIT, CCS, CDIP, looks at the results of Central Learning’s second annual ICD-10 Coding Contest and highlights ways facilities can use the data to improve coding performance and accuracy. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Q: We are having trouble determining what qualifies a patient as having an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and what documentation would support the diagnosis. Can you help our coding team clarify?
Of emergency department visits attributable to ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, aortic dissection, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, the conditions were not accurately diagnosed approximately one out of 20 times, according to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) .
Laurie L. Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, writes that even though CDI specialists are not coders, it’s important to learn the rules and guidelines that coders follow. CDI teams need to reference guidance and guidelines in their daily work to ensure documentation is clear, concise, and supportive of accurate code assignment true to the patient’s story.
To help bring JustCoding members together and let them learn more about their colleagues, JustCoding created a monthly member spotlight to appear in upcoming issues. This month, we are pleased to intoduce Tracy C. Harris, RHIT, CCS, coding manager at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston.
The shift from fee-for-service to value-based programs for outpatient payment systems has increased the need for outpatient CDI staff to review documentation for pertinent clinical factors.
Providers should be preparing for another rulemaking cycle from CMS as we hit April, with the IPPS rule expected to include a discussion on how the existing payment system can address new and emerging cellular and gene therapies.
With the expansion of telehealth services, providers for both the originating site and distant site can also count on the expansion of Medicare contractor audits.
In 2015, I wrote 44 appeal letters challenging DRG validation/coding denials. In 2016, I wrote 88 appeal letters. Last year, I penned 159. We already received more than 40 DRG validation denials in January of this year. Does this trend sound familiar?
The implementation of an EHR is a multifaceted, comprehensive project for healthcare organizations. Though it affects every department and function in some way, the impact on medical record coding may be the most profound and complicated, with some organizations reporting a 20% decrease in coding productivity after EHR implementation.
Traditionally, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan is released annually with focus areas identified for the upcoming year. However, as of June 2017, the decision was made to update the plan on a monthly basis to promote transparency by demonstrating a continuous effort to ensure compliance.
The fiscal year (FY) 2018 ICD-10-CM changes have now been active for several months. Though the volume of new codes is relatively small compared to previous updates, the impact on reimbursement has the potential to be quite large.
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.
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.
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.
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.
