Physicians and other providers practice in many different areas within a hospital. To accurately code physician and provider services, coders must know and understand the place of service (POS) codes.
As Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., implemented its EHR, the dreaded problem of copy and paste documentation began to rear its ugly head.
In this month's issue, we review the overhaul of CPT's psychiatry section and new codes for cardiology procedures, examine CPT's new provider neutrality language, and examine place of service codes.
One of the major changes to the 2013 CPT Manual is the replacement of the term "physician" with "physician or other qualified healthcare professional" (QHP) in a wide range of codes.
As Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., implemented its EHR, the dreaded problem of copy and paste documentation began to rear its ugly head.
Underdosing is a new coding concept in ICD-10-CM and it has its own column in the table of drugs. Underdosing can be accidental (patient forgot to take the medication) or intentional (patient chose...
The FY 2013 Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan includes plenty of new additions that might interest inpatient hospitals. Sara Kay Wheeler, Kimberly Anderwood Hoy, JD, CPC, Monica Lenahan, CCS, and William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, review those new additions and offer tips for dealing with OIG scrutiny.
Coders should avoid reporting signs and symptoms as the principal diagnosis when possible. However, that’s not always possible. William E. Haik, MD, FCCP, CDIP, reviews the ICD-9-CM principal diagnosis selection guidelines and when coders should report signs and symptoms as the principal diagnosis.
Electronic health records (EHR) provide opportunities for more efficient and effective care, yet they also provide coding and documentation challenges. Jill M. Young, CPC, CEDC, CIMC, explains what coders need to be wary of when coding from an EHR.
If you’re curious about whether something you’ve heard or read about the Recovery Auditor program is true, be sure to check out new information published on the CMS Web site. The agency released a document that addresses 14 common myths about the program.
Q: One of our orthopedic surgeons started to perform spinal fusions percutaneously. CPT ® provides instruction on how to code this procedure; however, these are inpatient surgeries, so we need an ICD-9-CM code. We’re leaning toward code 81.00 (spinal fusion unspecified). Do you think this is the correct code?
Now is the best time to consider the clinical documentation initiatives you need to implement in 2013. The preparation for ICD-10 has documentation needs first and foremost on everyone’s mind. Start...
ICD-10-PCS is vastly different from the ICD-9-CM procedure codes inpatient coders currently use. By now, you probably know that ICD-10-PCS codes must be seven characters in length. The letters I and...
On January 9, the American Medical Association sent out a notification of errata in the 2014 CPT ® Manual . The AMA followed with a January 16 correction saying the errata file is for the 2013 CPT Manual .
The use of dual coding is frequently discussed and debated as a way to prepare for the transition to ICD-10. Donna Smith, RHIA, Thea Campbell, MBA, RHIA, Gloryanne Bryant, BS, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS, and Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, evaluate the pros and cons of dual coding.