Shoveling snow can be great exercise. You can burn a lot of calories (depending on how much snow you’re shoveling and how much effort you’re putting into it). However, shoveling snow can also be...
These sample queries were adapted from The CDI Specialist’s Guide to ICD-10, created and donated by Cheryl Ericson, MS, RN, CCDS, CDIP, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer, CDI education director at HCPro in Danvers, Mass.
Decreased productivity isn’t the only looming concern with the transition to ICD-10. Scot Nemchik, CCS , and Rachel Chebeleu, MBA, RHIA , reveal why accuracy will be just as important as productivity.
Baby, it’s cold outside. Really, really cold. And unlike polar bears and snow leopards, I am not a cold weather animal. So to offset the cold this morning (and motivate myself to crawl out from under...
You can stop holding your breath. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, MAOM/HSM, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I, CHA , AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer, and Tara L. Bell, RN, MSN, CCM, AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS...
Our beloved (and much used) ICD-9-CM code 250.00 (unspecified diabetes) is going away soon. In fact, the whole idea of controlled or uncontrolled diabetes won’t matter either for coding purposes in...
The added specificity available in ICD-10-CM allows for more details to be included when reporting bacterial skin infections, such as the location of the infection. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I, explains how to identify various types of infection and which codes to use to report them.
The transition to ICD-10-CM may require coders to brush up on their anatomy and physiology in order to report the most accurate codes. We take a look at the anatomy of the knee and how coding for knee injuries will change in ICD-10-CM.
What can we revise today at Stitch ‘Em Up Hospital? First, we need to know what falls under root operation revision in ICD-10-PCS. Is it a procedure where the physician alters a body part, such as a...
259 days. That’s the time remaining until we start using ICD-10. How far along are you? You’ve completed your coding assessments, right? Hopefully, you’ve already started your coder training. At the...
Without the right details in the documentation, coders can’t assign the correct code and that becomes more apparent in ICD-10. Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, Paul Weygandt, MD, JD, MPH, MBA, CCS , Kathy DeVault, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, and Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CGSC, COBGC, CPEDC, CENTC, highlight some areas coders and clinical documentation improvement specialists should focus on to prepare for ICD-10.
You’ve heard about temperatures so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk, right? (I don’t recommend eating the egg afterwards.) It turns out the polar vortex was so cold you could freeze boiling...
We’re on to the third horseman of our ICD-10 Apocalypse: productivity. More specifically, the anticipated upcoming decline in coder productivity. You’ve probably heard the horror stories about the 50...
Ann came in to Stitch ‘Em Up Hospital for a breast biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. Dr. Richards performed the biopsy and based on the results, decided to perform a partial mastectomy...
Fix ‘Em Up Clinic is open for 2014 and we’ve already seen some interesting post-New Year injuries. Rebecca is complaining of pain in her right ankle. Dr. Frost reviews her past medical history and...
Different studies using different methodologies all point to the same conclusion: Coder productivity will decrease after the switch to ICD-10. However, no one knows what will happen to coding accuracy.
Recently, Dr. Seuss saw the Grinch for a variety of health concerns. Today, he’s seeing some others who are not in the holiday spirit. First is Mr. Scrooge, who complains he is being harassed by...
Christmas decorating can be a drag, especially when you get tangled in the string of lights and they literally drag you off the roof. Just ask poor Clark. First, he tripped over a root in the forest...
With the added specificity available in ICD-10-CM, coders have many more options for reporting malignancies of the skin. Shelley C. Safian, PhD, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPC-I , compares ICD-9-CM codes with their ICD-10-CM counterparts and notes where more documentation may be needed to select the proper code.