The truth is often stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense. Apparently a panda in China figured out that pregnant pandas get better treatment, so she pretended to be expecting ...
The ICD-10-CM delay has at least one silver lining: the ability to spend more time on coding and documentation requirements before implementation. Providers may want to also think about aligning their ICD-10-CM efforts with outpatient clinical documentation improvement (CDI) during this time. Elaine King, MHS, RHIA, CHP, CHDA, CDIP, examines the benefits and challenges of outpatient CDI programs.
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and hopefully, the end of patients with picnic-induced problems at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic. The first patient in on this Tuesday after Labor Day is Sam...
ICD-10 implementation and coding present plenty of challenges, especially when it comes to ICD-10-PCS. Plenty of myths are also floating around and some of them fairly prevalent. One way to make sure the most recent ICD-10 implementation delay is the last ICD-10 implementation delay is to bust some of these myths.
As the largest organ in the body, the skin is subject to a number of diseases and conditions. With ICD-10-CM, coders will report these conditions with a much higher degree of specificity.
Summer is almost over, and so are the summer road trips. Clark, for one, will be very happy about that. Clark and his family just returned from a week-long road trip across the country with some...
The ICD-10 transition has been nothing if not contentious. We’ve had delays mandated by both CMS and Congress, as well as ongoing attempts by the AMA to kill ICD-10 altogether. Another discordant...
ICD-10-PCS requires coders to possess strong clinical knowledge as well as a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. Coders need to understand what physicians are actually doing in certain...
We hear a lot about the projected productivity declines after ICD-10 implementation. And coders will be less productive initially. That only makes sense because ICD-10 is new, coders will need to...
Coding depends on clear and accurate documentation, especially with the added specificity available in ICD-10-CM. Andrea Clark-Rubinowitz, RHIA, CCS, CPCH , highlights tactics for improving provider documentationahead of implementation.
What constitutes good documentation? The next physician treating the patient should be able to pick up the medical record and know exactly what happened in the previous encounter. How often does this...
LOL BTW K+ BP↑ It’s a texting world, and more and more we use shorthand in our everyday lives. What about shorthand in a medical record? Can you code from it? First, let’s look at what kind of...
The section of codes that expanded most in ICD-10-CM involves orthopedic injuries, especially fractures. Kim Carr, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CCDS , and Kristi Stanton, RHIT, CCS, CPC, CIRCC, highlight some of the most significant changes for fracture coding.
When a patient comes in contact with a drug or chemical that has an unhealthy effect, coders will have an easier time reporting it in ICD-10-CM than in ICD-9-CM. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I , AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer reviews poisoning and adverse effect coding in both code sets.
Take it from today’s victims, er, patients, at the Fix ‘Em Up Clinic: not every idea is a good idea. First in today is Jeff. He took part in a s’more eating contest at camp last night. I’ve...
ICD-10-CM includes 68,000 codes and ICD-10-PCS features 71,924 code choices. Scary numbers, right? Not according to Sue Bowman, RHIA, CCS, senior director of coding policy and compliance for AHIMA in...
The new ICD-10 implementation date gives us more than a year to finish preparing for the big transition. So why learn about how to code diabetes in ICD-10-CM now? “It’s never too early to start...
The summer heat can lead to an increase in many sun and heat-related illnesses. Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC, reviews common summer ailments and how to choose the right codes in ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM.
Well, we once again have an official ICD-10 implementation date. HHS released a display copy of Administrative Simplification: Change to the Compliance Date for the International Classification of...